Can you support animals in need this Christmas?

Helping Animals This Christmas

The “Boredom Box”

Dogs love to investigate with their noses.

One of the ways we help them do this in kennels is by providing enrichment. Enrichment can be anything that is safe for the dog to have, especially on their own in their kennel, something they enjoy doing, something they have to work at to get to food. All dogs are different but we find most dogs in our care love a “boredom box”.

So here is one way that you can you can help support our animals this christmas.

To make a boredom box you will need:

A box – with any staples or tape removed. You can then fold the box flaps in to make it secure again.
Newspaper – either scrunched up or torn into shreds
Food or a toy you know the dog will love once they find it
Marker pen

Make the box safe by removing any staples or tape which
the dog could chew and swallow then fold the flaps in on each other to create a secure base.
Scrunch or tear up some newspaper and put into the box
Pick a toy or some treats or a tasty chew and put in the box on top of the newspaper
Cover with another layer of scrunched up or shredded newspaper
Fold the box flaps up to secure the box
Write on the box what it contains – this is very important as our dogs are all different ages and sizes and have different needs.

Boredom Box content ideas:

Rusty

is an older small dog so will need a softer treat for his teeth that is not too big.

Narla

is a big dog but is allergic to chicken so can’t have any treats containing chicken but she loves a tennis ball.

Ayla

is a bigger young dog who likes to chew so a tasty chew would be ideal for her but no toys in her box in case she eats them!

Some of our dogs who haven’t had a boredom box before need a little encouragement from staff to investigate but most of the time the boxes are excitedly received and broken into in minutes so the dogs can enjoy what surprise is inside.

This is how much joy your boredom box can create this Christmas.

Little Idris here is a luck pup because Christmas really did come early for him as he helped us out with this picture.

Please help our animals dreams come true this year.

We know you are busy at this time of year, perhaps you don’t have time to make a boredom box for our animals, but a few £££s as a donation on our Justgiving page will help us to cheer up the lives of animals in need this Christmas.

Please visit justgiving.com/campaign/christmas-at-woodside

You can also help by purchasing goods on Amazon from the comfort of your sofa. Our Amazon wish list shows all of the items that help us to make the lives of our animals better and more fulfilled.

Click here to visit our shopping list:
Amazon Wish List Link

Opening Hours

Centre Open for General Animal Viewing
We are open to the public to have a look around on Thursdays, Saturday and Sundays from 11:00 to 15:00

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Pet Shop and Reception
Open 7 Days a week
Monday - Friday: 08:30 to 16:30
Saturday & Sunday: 09:00 to 16:00

If you are interested in adopting an animal in our care, please go to the animal profile pages and complete the contact forms. Our team will then contact you to discuss the current adoption process.