b'Redefining the Importance of theQuality of Life For All Shelter Dogsby Joe LongDogs Playing for Life is a nonprofit organization with a mission to enhance the quality of life ofshelter dogs to increase life-saving. Their programs have been featured at international animalwelfare conferences and implemented by shelters nationwide. The verdict is simple: it works.Imagine what it must be like for a dog to attend to the higher-need popula- it isnt so easy to see the issues causingto end up in a shelternot being able tion, we decided it was time to tackle challenging behaviors in other dogs.to ask what is going to happen next or thechallenginglastmileofcanine Sparrows story:to tell someone that you feel alone and lifesaving. This is why we established He was born both deaf and blindafraid.Long-termstaysfordogsin theCanineCenter,ouradvanced becauseofacommongeneticdefectkennelfacilitiescancompoundthe board and train facility in Wellborn, that occurs when two merle dogs areproblem,andmanyshelterssimply Florida.Beingabletoprovidethe bred.It is completely understandablecannotmeetthephysicalandemo- individualizedtrainingsupportfor thatSparrowwasoftennervousandtionalneedsforthosethatstruggle these at-risk dogs has shown us that uncertain with only limited senses towithbehaviorsthatareperceivedas they are not unredeemable, but much understand what was going on aroundunruly.Butwhataboutthosedogs likemanyofus,simplyneedabit him.Notbeingabletoseeorhearstuckinsheltersbecauseofpoor more help. someone approach would often lead tobehavior?DogsPlayingforLife Of the now hundreds of successes a warning snap, and typical communi-(DPFL) has tackled this critical issue weve been able to deliver on behalf of cation was all but impossible. Whenbysupportingbothsidesofthe ourshelterpartners, Sparrow stands Sparrowwassurrendered,theshelterequation thepeopleandthedogs out as a really unique example of what teamhelpinghimrealizedhewasathey serve.thiscomplexbutsolvableproblem smart,affectionatedog,buttheyItissoimportantthatwework looks like. This is because we can all werent sure how to go about support-together toward the common goals of clearly see why his behavior might be ing him, so they gave us a call.quality of life and lifesaving.Because different from other dogs. This is an When Sparrow arrived, the DPFLmost shelters dont have the resources important point because in most cases, team was a bit stumped, but not at alldiscouraged.Thefirstchallengewashow do you train a dog that cant see orhear you? Then the obvious struck us:Scent cues!Bybuildingassociationsthroughspecificscents,wewereabletohelpSparrow learn a variety of skills, likemeeting new people appropriately, andsitting and staying in place. Sparrow sniffs for Nelly Weaccomplishedthisbyestab-lishingawaytocommunicatethatthis new person is a friend, not a foe. Here is how we did it:1) We added the perfume scent ofthe first person Sparrow befriended atthe Canine Center to a rag that livedin his kennel card sleeve. 2) Every time a handler came tohis kennel they presented him with therag with that specific scent. 38 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'