This year, on Thursday, September 22, 2022, Cowtown Friends of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control is participating in Communities Foundation of Texas’ North Texas Giving Day, a one day online giving extravaganza for our whole region.
In 2021, $66 million was raised through 103,000 donors benefiting over 3,300 local nonprofits, bringing the thirteen-year total to over $441 million for our community. North Texas Giving Day is the largest community-wide giving event in the nation. Since its founding in 2009, North Texas Giving Day has inspired people to get up and give, resulting in increased donations and services provided in North Texas. Last year, in our first year of participating, you helped Cowtown Friends surpass our goal of $10,000!
Our sole mission at Cowtown Friends of FWACC is to support Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and enhance its efforts to save the lives of pets in need. As a non-profit created to support the shelter, Cowtown Friends is able to respond quickly when needs arise to make an immediate impact for the animals waiting for their homes at FWACC. For example, we are able to fund life-changing programs such as the enrichment program that provides in kennel mentally stimulating toys and treats to the animals living at FWACC.
On North Texas Giving Day 2022, Cowtown Friends of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control hopes to raise $10,000 to increase the adoptability of dogs at FWACC by enriching their day-to-day lives in the shelter.
So why are we focusing on shelter enrichment this year?
Simply put, shelter enrichment saves lives! The purpose of shelter enrichment is to reduce stress and improve the well-being of shelter animals by providing activities that allow dogs to solve problems, use cognitive skills, and focus their energy, which in turn contributes to an animal’s well-being and reduces the likelihood of undesired behaviors.
In a shelter environment, particularly one, as crowded as FWACC, enrichment for all dogs, is important to maintain wellness, reduce the potential for inappropriate behaviors, and increase adoptability of all the dogs in their care. Thus, shelter enrichment will have direct benefits on both the physical and mental health of countless animals at FWACC throughout their shelter stay.
You can make a big difference in shelter dogs’ quality of life by supporting our North Texas Giving Day campaign this year. Please see below for the items we are fundraising for as part of our campaign Miscellaneous Enrichment Supplies. In order to keep our enrichment purchases such as frozen KONGs and Benebones sanitized, stuffed, and safe, there is a need for peanut butter, dehydrated raw food, and cleaning supplies. With over 1,000 animals in the shelter’s care at any given time, these supplies get used daily and run out quickly, despite being crucial to maintaining an active and safe enrichment program.
Dog Treats. Treat buckets on every kennel door are a fantastic way to involve everyone (staff, volunteers, the public) in the training process. Handing dogs a treat as you pass helps them (and us) by creating a positive association with people passing the kennel, making their kennel a fun place, teaching them good manners, giving adopters a fun way to interact with the dogs as they look for a pet, and giving dogs a little interaction even when volunteers and staff are busy as it only takes a second to drop a treat into a kennel! As you can imagine, the shelter goes through treats very quickly and it is our goal to keep these buckets full year round and your donation can help us accomplish this.
Out and About Supplies. Through the out and about program at FWACC, people have the opportunity to take a dog out for a day to give them one-on-one attention and gain more insight into their personality for potential adopters. People taking dogs on out and about can take a pup out to the park, a walk around the lake, or get a pup friendly ice cream with the goal is to learn valuable information about these dogs to help potential adopters. The report cards after these outings really does make an incredible difference! Studies have shown even a couple hours away from the shelter can decrease stress in dogs and make them more adoptable. Since the launch of this program in March 2019, the shelter has seen long stay shelter dogs get adopted more quickly. Given the large number of dogs who would benefit from going on out and abouts, there is a need to keep “adopt me” leashes and bandanas in stock so that every dog who goes on an out and about can be clearly identified as adoptable when out in public.
Treat Dispensing Toys. Treat dispensing toys such as puzzles, wobblers, and snuffle mats are great for mental and physical stimulation and they increase the time during the day when a dog has meaningful activities to engage in. Many shelter volunteers will take dogs out for one-on-one time in quiet places in the shelter and we would love to have a variety of options for them to choose from to help keep the dogs’ minds and bodies active. Your donations can help us ensure that these treat dispensing toys remain varied and available to all volunteers to use when spending time with dogs.
KONGs and Benebones. KONGs and Benebones, used daily at FWACC, provide endless entertainment and comfort. When animals are enjoying KONGs or Benebones, they are less likely to bark in their kennels, so noise levels drop, which reduces environmental stress. Despite the ability to easily clean and sanitize these items, the sheer volume of dogs coming through the shelter means that there is a need to more regularly replace these items. As such, we are asking for funds to refresh the shelter’s supply of KONGs and Benebones throughout the year.
We know that on North Texas Giving Day you have many organizations to which you can donate, but we sincerely hope you consider donating to Cowtown Friends so that we can continue to provide necessary enrichment items for the thousands of dogs who come through the local shelter each year.
We invite you to join the movement and help us reach our goal of $10,000 on September 22nd.
Here’s how you can help:
Get up and give on September 22! Your gift matters! On September 22, if you donate to Cowtown Friends on NorthTexasGivingDay.org between 6 a.m. and midnight, your dollars will be stretched with bonus funds and prizes raised by Communities Foundation of Texas!
Not available on September 22nd? No worries! Make your gift early between September 1 and September 21st by visiting our giving page at www.northtexasgivingday.org/cowtownfriends
Spread the word! Spread the word to your friends and loved ones about Cowtown Friends and North Texas Giving Day! Don’t forget to tag @cowtownfriends and #cowtowncares and #NTxGivingDay if you’re posting online! Encourage your friends and family to get up and give as well!
Follow us! Follow us on our social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook) @cowtownfriends to stay up to date on North Texas Giving Day!
For more information on North Texas Giving Day, visit NorthTexasGivingDay.org!
If you are local, join us on September 22nd from 5-8 pm at MUTTS Canine Cantina in Fort Worth to celebrate all we have accomplished in 2022.
100% of funds raised on North Texas Giving Day will go toward the above initiatives.
To learn more and donate, please visit our North Texas Giving Day page at:
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