Concho Valley PAWS Dogs in for a Tail Waggin' Good Time

SAN ANGELO, TX – Concho Valley PAWS was thrilled to be awarded a sponsorship grant from Dogs Playing for Life, a national organization that works with over 250 shelters in the US to organize and implement dog play groups.  

"We are so grateful to have been selected to receive the sponsorship grant from Dogs Playing for Life.  The trainers have come to San Angelo to work with PAWS and the City of San Angelo Shelter Staff.  They arrived Saturday and will be working with us until Wednesday of this week."  said Jenie Wilson, Executive Director of Concho Valley PAWS.  

Dogs Playing for Life provides education and mentoring to shelter staff and volunteers across the country to increase quality of life for shelter dogs and their caretakers. We have visited over 250 shelters, where dogs experience higher levels of lifesaving, adoption matching, volunteer support, and most importantly, quality of life!

"The idea behind playgroups is to allow dogs to be dogs.  Dogs play.  Playgroups not only get the dogs out of the kennel and into fresh air but it allows them to interact with other dogs so we can get idea of who they really are.   This leads to better foster or adoptive placement.   One thing we have learned, it is impossible to get a good read on who a dog is behind a kennel door or restrained on a leash.  This is putting dogs in their naturally preferred element and giving them the freedom to socialize, play and release some of that energy that the shelter environment has forced them to supress." Wilson said.  

In a shelter environment, dogs are confined alone in small kennels for days and months at a time with limited time outside the kennel.  This leads to physical and mental deterioration over time.  "These dogs need a release; they need fresh air and they need to socialize." Wilson said.  Studies have shown a significant drop in cortizone levels in dogs that are taken out of the kennel and taken outside.  Even if that time out of the kennel is just twenty minutes - it makes a big difference in their mental wellbeing.  

"We have been very impressed and excited with what we've learned.  We are learning that some of the traditional approaches to temperament testing are flawed and that there are better ways.  We're learning a great deal about dog-on-dog interaction, body language and personality.  We are learning how to keep the dogs safe and diffuse a tense situation when necessary.  I'm very confident that this will be a game changer for all of us."  Wilson said

"It's been an amazing experience so far watching dogs some of us mistakenly identified as "dog aggressive" come out and be the star of the playgroup.  Seeing dogs that have been at the shelter for months spend time outside together, running, playing with one another and wagging tails.  It's been good for our souls."  Wilson said.  

Concho Valley PAWS plans to immediately implement the playgroup program following training.  The organization is seeking volunteers to help.  Concho Valley PAWS has a small staff of less than 10 employees and over 200 dogs to run through playgroups.  The playgroups need to be run every day to ensure the animals get time out of their kennels.  PAWS is seeking a committed volunteer force to help ensure playgroups happen every day.    "We may start with small steps, but this training is providing us with skill and knowledge to make life better for shelter pets."  Wilson said.  "The need for volunteers is crucial.  We are asking San Angelo to step up and help us in a big way - but in a way that is so very rewarding."  Wilson said.