Programs
helping dogs Every Day
Dogs Playing for Life is a canine programming nonprofit with a mission to serve the most shelter dogs possible. Our programs are featured at international animal welfare conferences and implemented by shelters across the country.
We have served multiple open admission shelters that now maintain canine live-release rates in excess of 95%. The verdict is simple: it works.
our signature programs & Events
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For the Good of All Dogs
Aimee Sadler has always known that enhancing quality of life would ensure positive outcomes for sheltered dogs. That is why she founded Dogs Playing for Life in 2015 after seventeen years of program development within brick and mortar shelters.
Dogs Playing for Life has always been rooted in the notion that a dog’s natural instinct is to PLAY. Playing can be a dog’s most natural form of positive interaction and communication with both humans and fellow dogs.
Concerning behavior for kenneled dogs can often be attributed to fear, frustration, and overall emotional suffering as a result of finding themselves in such a stressful environment.
For shelters, allowing dogs to be dogs in playgroups is often a more reliable indicator of their behavioral tendencies than the dog’s reactions during the intake process, while kenneled, or during a formal behavior evaluation.
Unfortunately, shelter dogs mislabeled as aggressive may never get the chance to show their true personality under more normal circumstances.
With our groundbreaking programs, Dogs Playing for Life ensures that all dogs are provided enrichment resources – beyond what traditional kennels typically provide – prior to any final determination regarding their potential for adoption.
Our training demonstrates to shelter staff and volunteers both the practical efficiencies of playgroups, as well as the emotional and behavioral benefits for the animals. This novel approach helps sheltered dogs along their path to becoming beloved canine companions within our communities. Read some of our success stories to see exactly what we mean.
Shelter Dogs Need Your Help
Dogs Playing for Life provides shelters with comprehensive seminars designed to maximize enrichment and quality of life for both shelter dogs and the staff who care for them. Our programs allow staff to learn how to conduct their own playgroups through:
- Classroom presentations
- Hands-on playgroup demonstrations
- Caretaker coaching
- Robust leave-behind resources
In many cases, the playgroups instantly reveal that dogs initially feared as being aggressive or unbalanced are truly social and adoptable!
Our goal is for no dog to be killed because of a lack of resources or opportunity to show their true selves. Our programs can provide hope and be the difference between life and death.
With your support, Dogs Playing for Life can increase our reach, because oftentimes a shelter’s budget does not allow for additional outside assistance. Dogs live to play, now let them play to live!
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Learn about our vital work in your community, the latest training tips and techniques, and special stories of redemption and love.
Dogs live to play, now let them play to live.
Consider supporting Dogs Playing for Life today to help the dogs that need it the most.
