![dog shelter toys](https://static.designboom.com/wp-content/compsub/368241/2012-12-31/img_1_1356994922_dc5c7986daef50c1e02ab09b442ee34f.jpg)
dog shelter toys by Einav Hamami from israel
designer's own words:
A sheltered dog is closed in a small cell for 24 hours a day,
without the ability to do physical activities due to the size of the cell,
and with no new brain stimulations, since he is exposed to the same thing all day and is not required to investigate or to think.
These conditions force the dog to develop behavior problems:
On one hand, some dogs become apathetic and don't respond or connect with their surroundings
On the other hand, some dogs become over energetic.
In those situations their chances of finding a home decrease dramatically
A person looking for a dog to adopt won't pick a dog that doesn't respond to him, or one that is too energetic, for the fear that it might destroy their house.
My toys provide the sheltered dog physical activity and brain stimulations inside the cell, improving its mental state, thus increasing its chances to find a home.
I created 6 toys: three that provide the dog physical activity, and the ability to spend energy inside the small cell
and three additional toys that provide the dog with mental stimulation, thinking and exploration games, that create a regenerating interest in a place of no interest at all.
Each toy uses the dog's dry food.
In each of the toys the dog must take a different action in order to extract the food out.
All actions are based on natural motions that the dogs do in the wild in order to gain food:
chasing, stretching, chewing, rolling, pulling and pushing.
The toys can be connected to all types of bars and concrete walls, so they can be adjusted to any existing cells.
In addition to the direct influence on the dog, the toys also improve the environment of the entire shelter:
The colors and the playful dogs make the atmosphere in the shelter pleasant and more positive, to the employees as well as to the adopters
And there is also the marketing value - I as an adopter would prefer to adopt from a dog shelter that is more sensitive to the needs of the dogs than from any other shelter.
All of these also increase the dog's chances of finding a new home.
All the toys Dogs playing 1 [jwplayer config=”mplayer” width=”818px” height=”600px” file=”https://static.designboom.com/wp-content/compsub/368241/2012-12-31/video_1_1356994922_11dfd8e3c2523b863a7e083461f77ab9.flv”] video
The stretching toy
The pulling toy
The chewing toy
The chasing toy