Environmental enrichment in animal shelters reduces stress behaviour in dogs, improves psychological welfare during shelter stays, and increases the probability of successful adoption.
Shelters represent a welfare crisis for dogs who may spend weeks or months in conditions of sensory monotony, social disruption, and chronic stress. The welfare of shelter dogs matters both in its own right and because stressed dogs are more likely to be euthanized or returned after adoption. Enrichment investment is simultaneously a welfare improvement and an operational strategy that increases successful outcomes for individual animals.