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| Four Seasons Hemet Herald | APRIL 2026 | 21 We're excited to tell you all about our latest Kennel Enrichment Workshop. What is kennel enrichment, anyway? Glad you asked! Kennel Enrichment is all about helping shelter animals in their kennel environment, while they await their Furever Home. No matter how well-managed the rescue facility – a kennel is NOT HOME. So, daily kennel enrichment introduces quality time into their day through mental, physical, and emotional enrichment via playtime with toys, puzzle games (with treats or not), and other interactions with sensory-based objects and of course, human interactions. But most enrichments items need to be created by humans donating their time, especially for non-profit shelters. And the more items the better, since the goal is to provide this to them daily. Items such as: • Kongs stuffed with peanut butter • Snuffle mats filled with treats • Shredder boxes (with treats, of course) • Pull-apart toys • Smelly socks • And so much more! And here's the extra-cool part! We humans have fun making them — especially at workshops where we all gather together! It's not rocket science; there is lots of chatter and laughter going on! February was our first-ever workshop here. There were 25 of us who gathered in the Aerobics Room – we formed our teams – and set our magic in motion, creating doggy enrichment treats and toys! Our group was led by Jose Farias, who specializes in daily Kennel Enrichment for the dogs and cats at Haven Pet Center. In addition to daily walk/play activities - every single Haven resident is provided enrichment time on as many days as possible through the week, thanks to Jose and his band of dedicated volunteers (and awesome folks like us!) Bonus! We were also joined by Larissa Stanton, leader of Haven's Canine Program – and her personal service dog, Venka. Larissa trains all Haven Volunteer Dog Walkers, as well as teaching an advanced program on dog socialization and playgroups. Beyond donating her time to Haven, she is a professional dog trainer, as well, and delighted us with training demonstrations and answering lots of questions on dog challenges many of us experience! She will be invited back again, soon! Paws Club meets the second Thursday of the month, at 2 pm in the Ballroom: Our April 12 meeting features Haven's Kennel Enrichment Workshop for kitty cats. Open to all in the Ballroom. Stay tuned! ~ V, Debbie & Debbie & Tami ; (951) 473-3235 (V's cell) PAWS We're excited to tell you all about our latest Kennel What is kennel enrichment, Kennel Enrichment is all about helping shelter animals in their kennel environment, while they await their Furever Home. enrichment treats and toys! daily Kennel Enrichment for the dogs and cats at Haven Pet Center. In addition to daily walk/play activities -