Adoptable (Official) Georgia Dogs for August 18, 2021

The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia hosted playgroup training to teach ~~dogs how to play nicely~~ staff and volunteers to run safe playgroups for the shelter pets, according to AccessWDUN.

On Tuesday, shelter staff hosted trainers with the nonprofit Dogs Playing for Life to instruct shelter staff on handling dogs during playgroups. Specifically, Dogs Playing for Life trainers focused on telling shelter staff what to watch for in the dogs’ behaviors.

“This is about letting the dogs get outside and actually letting their true personalities shine, and kind of taking a step back as the people who handle them,” said Kodi Sadler, lead trainer for Dogs Playing for Life. “Obviously, we’re giving [shelter staff] information and helping them not make mistakes if it has safety involved…but you truly get to see when this dog wants to play, what kind of play they like to do.”

Dogs Playing for Life works with shelters around the country to train staff on the art of playgroups and enriching the lives of shelter animals in general.

Allison Mayfield, executive director of the Humane Society of Northeast Georgia, said she noticed a major difference in some dogs just from three days in playgroups.

“You’ll have a dog that comes out here that’s real aggressive or either real withdrawn…in just the three days that we’ve been doing this, I’ve watched those dogs totally come out of their shell,” said Mayfield. “This is a behavior thing too, so [the trainers] are teaching them, while they’re in playgroups, to socialize.”