The new dog sensory garden at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, which is the first of its kind in the city, is to be officially unveiled this week.
It includes a balance beam made from recycled bottles for the dogs to climb on, dog-friendly plants like ferns, lavender and chamomile for snuffling around in, tractor tyres filled with different textures, including sand and gravel and bark, wind chimes for additional sensory enrichment and even a little Wendy house for them to explore.
The project was funded via an appeal to the local community last year, which raised more than £13,000 and was built with the help of volunteers from across the city.
Zita Polgar, Senior Animal Behaviourist at Bristol Animal Rescue said: “Many of the dogs who are taken into our care have come from difficult circumstances. They’re in an unfamiliar environment with people they have never seen before. They may be scared and stressed. While our team do all they can to help our dogs feel comfortable and happy while they’re here, kennels are a stressful environment for them. Beyond their daily walks and enrichment activity, they need a space to relax. That’s why this dog sensory garden is so important to us. It will give them a space to enjoy the outdoors and really lean into their natural behaviours and just have fun”.
“The public have been so generous – not only by donating money but also giving us their time to create this space, which is so needed by the animals in our care. We’re absolutely thrilled to see this project, which was so long in the planning, come to fruition and to see the dogs start to enjoy their time there,” said Fundraising Manager Katie Love.
Case study: Binx
One of the dogs who’ll be benefitting from the new dog sensory garden is Binx, a young black Labrador Retriever Crossbreed. Like many dogs who arrive here, Binx was found as a stray.
“The kennel environment can be quite stressful for intelligent dogs with high energy levels like Binx,” explained Zita.
“He needs a lot of mental and physical stimulation, and since he can become anxious and frustrated around other dogs, finding places to walk him where he won’t encounter other dogs can be tricky here in the city.
“He especially enjoys scent detection, so the array of scented plants in our garden are great for keeping his keen nose occupied. His favourite thing in the world is playing with toys – especially tennis balls – so having a space on site where he can do that has been a real game changer for Binx in terms of his training”.
