Enrichment Activities

Here at the Sanctuary we have many and varied enrichment activities.

Dogs Day Out Programme 

Here at the Sanctuary we have a number of long term dogs who for a number of reasons are less likely to get their own forever home.  For these dogs, and others whose stay may be a bit longer than anticipated, we arrange Dog Day Outs where they are taken to dog parks so they can run free as dog should and enjoy the socialisation aspects of life that they cannot get at the Sanctuary.

Room to Relax 

Our dogs can find the stress of kennel life difficult, so we have a home from home environment on our premises complete with television, sofa, coffee table and rugs!  This allows our dogs a bit of time out from their kennel environment and for those who have never experienced the great indoors it gives them an opportunity to experience this environment.  This all helps in the long term when they do find their forever home.

Other enrichment activities including use of our pools on those sunny days, Kongs filled with tasty treats, slow feeders, other toys and plenty of walks throughout the day.

Behaviour Talks

As part of our adoption scheme we now offer all new adopters the chance to come back to the Sanctuary with their new friend and address any issues or concerns they may have with our behaviourist.   The session can also allow for any advice on nutrition, fun activities or anything else dog related.  This Sanctuary based initiative is aimed at ensuring our dogs adapt to their new and forever homes and never have to experience kennel life again.

The dates for these events are given to all our dog adopters at the time of adoption.

These events are also open to the public for a small donation to our work – please contact us on contact@midantrim.org to find out more.

New Enrichment and Activity Centre

Your outstanding support and commitment to our work have helped make our dream a reality and we are delighted to confirm that our newly developed Enrichment and Activity Centre is now complete.

This massive project commenced in August 2022 and we watched and waited as it took shape over the last number of months; the eagerly anticipated opening has now arrived. Here’s what our dogs have to look forward to on a daily basis:

• A meet and greet building and facilities to introduce our dogs to their Forever Family
• A dedicated puppy unit to meet the needs of future Mums and Pups and includes a socialisation space to give them the best start in life
• A living room environment to allow our dogs to socialise and get familiar with life indoors, a luxury some may never have experienced
• Four large external exercise runs for our dogs to run free but of course they allow for so much more
  – A sensory garden with some dog related landscaping to ensure our dogs benefit from an enriching and stimulating natural environment
  – A dedicated agility area to benefit our dogs both physically and mentally
  – A long ‘gallop’ run for a real leg stretch; what a difference from walking on lead
  – Puppy and small dog area full of fun activities