Workshops
For the first half of our workshops, Ariela covers the importance of reducing stress and boredom in shelter animals and ways to prevent it. She also covers the importace of fostering and explains simple ways to help local animal shelters and rescues. In the second half of the presentations, she explains how to make some animal enrichment and de-stressing items, and provides examples. She then provides the materials and lets the attendees make their own animal items. All of the items are made with common household objects and recylced materials, so that people can make more items at home to donate. Ariela then hands out take-home packets that summarize everything talked about during the workshop and instructions on how to make the items. After these workshops are over, Ariela collects all the items made and donates them to various different shelter and rescue groups. The purpose of doing these presentations is to produce more enrichment toys to donate and to educate others. The hope is that people who attend my workshops will continue making and donating toys to animals in need.
Workshop Presentation
Importance of Each Item
Hideaways: Hideaways provide animals with privacy and security, improves their quality of life, and reduces their stress and anxiety.
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Toys: Toys reduce animal boredom and stress, provides animals with enrichment, and can prevent animals from having behavioral issues.
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Scratchers: Cat scratchers allow cats to calm down and reduce their stress, allow cats to stretch and exercise, relaxes cats, and helps cats get along better.
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Blankets and Beds: Blankets and beds provide comfort and security for animals, especially shelter animals, as sleeping on a blanket/bed is much better than sleeping on the cold floor. Blankets and beds also help animals relax and de-stress. In addition, giving a shelter animal a blanket/bed that they can take wherever they go helps them feel safe in new environments.
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Food Puzzles: Food puzzles reduces stress and anxiety in animals, provides enrichment and stimulation, decreases their chances of developing illnesses and behavioral issues, slows down fast easting, and makes animals happier.
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Privacy Screens: Privacy screens provide shy cats with a sense of safety and security in the shelter, reduces their stress and anxiety from seeing lots of people and animals, and calms them.