Winnipeg shelter calling for help to grow pet-friendly sensory garden
Winnipeg's Animal Services is asking for help making life a little easier for dogs in its care.
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When four-legged guests at a city-owned animal shelter step outside for some fresh air, conditions are not exactly lush.
'The facilities are quite bland,' said Jennifer Medlicott, the community relations coordinator with Winnipeg's Animal Services Agency.
She's not wrong.
The play area is filled with gravel, surrounded by a brick wall and partitioned off with chain-link fence.
Winnipeg Animal Services Agency
The outdoor play area at the Winnipeg Animal Services Agency facility on Logan Avenue is captured on camera on June 19, 2025. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)
There are a few flourishes, be it a refreshing wading pool or a climbable bridge.
Still, Medlicott and the rest of the staff have a greener, more stimulating vision for the space - one she hopes generous Winnipeggers will help them bring to life.
'We just want to make the animals' time here as easy as possible, as enjoyable as possible, and one way of doing that is to enrich them in the yards when they're out here,' Medlicott explained.
Winnipeg Animal Services Agency
Tangela the pup climbs in the play area at the Winnipeg Animal Services Agency facility on Logan Avenue on June 19, 2025. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)
The plan is to make over the space into a pet-friendly sensory garden.
For those unfamiliar, Medlicott said it's exactly what it sounds like – an Eden of sorts filled with wonderful smells, colours, and textures designed for furry, four-legged friends to enjoy.
To start, staff plan to add potted plants to the otherwise drab chain-link fence.
They're hoping the public will help keep the garden growing, be it by donating soil, dog-friendly plants, extra pots or a monetary donation.
Animal Services Agency
Tangela the pup plays outside at the Winnipeg Animal Services Agency facility on Logan Avenue on June 19, 2025. (Daniel Timmerman/CTV News Winnipeg)
Medlicott believes such a soothing environment will make a big difference for dogs and cats as they await their forever homes.
'In a kennel environment, the pets are quite stressed out,' she explained.
'When they're less stressed, they can meet their potential adopters and be in a lot better of a space.'
Donations can be dropped off at the Animal Services Agency facility at 1057 Logan Avenue during adoption hours. Monetary donations can be made on the organization's website.
- With files from CTV's Daniel Timmerman
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