Press Release: Date of Issue: July 3, 2024
Levy County Animal Services (LCAS) Manager Rod Hastings invited Dogs Playing for Life to train the Animal Services staff on the program for three days on July 1-3, 2024. Dogs Playing for Life is a nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance the quality of life of shelter dogs and to increase the number of dog lives that are saved by helping dogs learn behaviors that make them adoptable. Dogs Playing for Life programs are featured at international animal welfare conferences and implemented by shelters nationwide.
The staff from Dogs Playing for Life delivered the “Every Dog, Every Day!” program to the LCAS Staff. This is an out-of-kennel enrichment program that was developed in 2015, whereby expert Dogs Playing for Life staff visit shelters across the nation to teach the skills needed to offer daily playgroups to their canine populations. Playgroups have been proven time and time again to enhance the quality of life for most dogs, resulting in maximum lifesaving while reducing the length of stay!
The “Every Dog, Every Day!” program recognizes long-term confinement is not an appropriate way of life for any dog and has the potential to bring out the worst in our canine companions. With playgroups, natural behavioral expression and canine communication can occur, helping to identify dogs that can fast-track into homes. On the other hand, dogs with potential behavioral challenges can be better identified and benefit greatly from a targeted action plan for successful placement.
LCAS Manager Rod Hastings described the program as a “Game Changer for Levy County Animal Services.” “Playgroups will allow our dogs to relax and show their true personalities. This will help us to place them in loving adoptive homes.” Hastings also mentioned that by getting the dogs out of their kennels and out in playgroups, LCAS can clean the kennels much faster, thereby allowing them to spend even more time interacting with the dogs.
At present, LCAS has two very small pens where dogs can have supervised playgroups. Manager Hastings said that he would love to be able to install additional chain link fences to build a few larger play yards to allow the dogs space to run and act like dogs. The larger play yards would also allow LCAS staff to get most, if not, all of the dogs out of their kennels to play on a regular basis.
Anyone who can help construct additional play yards by donating materials for chain link fences, canopies for the play yards, labor, or funding, is encouraged to contact LCAS Manager Rod Hastings by phone at 352.486.5138 or by email at AnimalServices-Management@levycounty.org.
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Posted July 3, 2024
