Sensory garden 4 shelters
Did you know that in Europe there are also Sensory gardens in shelters?
Please find below on this page the list per country where you can find Sensory Gardens in shelters.
Get inspired an read below interviews!
Visit Sensory garden in Shelter Kaiserslautern
"In March 2025, our team—consisting of Marcel, dogs Iefke, Bob, and myself—visited the animal shelter Tierheim Kaiserslautern as part of a work trip. This visit was a special opportunity to strengthen the connections we have built since 2020 and to present a donation raised through the Sensory Garden Bella. Our enthusiasm was immense, as we finally had the chance to experience the shelter's Sensory Garden person—a project that has inspired us for years due to its positive impact on the well-being of dogs."
First contact in 2020
The first connection with Tierheim Kaiserslautern was established back in 2020 when we still lived in Sweden. Through the internet, I discovered that this shelter had a Sensory Garden —a concept that immediately fascinated me. My curiosity led me to an interview with the team, in which Anne and the other members shared the incredible benefits a Sensory Garden can offer shelter dogs. You can read the interview below this report😊. Their story left a lasting impression, and ever since, I’ve always talked about the Sensory Garden in Kaiserslautern and its positive effects on shelter dogs in my workshops, “Creating a Sensory Garden for your dog.”
Over the years, we stayed in contact with the shelter, which led to this special visit. Together with Marcel, Iefke, and Bob, we traveled to Kaiserslautern to finally meet the team of Tierheim Kaiserslautern, visit the shelter, and of course, see the Sensory Garden.. Additionally, we presented a donation check of €40 on behalf of Sensory Garden Bella. This amount was sniffed together within just a few weeks after the opening at 1 March 2025, and we hope to present many more such checks in the future 😊.
Animal shelter / Tierschutzverein Kaiserslautern
The animal shelter is strategically located on a remote industrial estate, providing a peaceful environment away from noise and distractions. The shelter is modern in design and fully aligned with the latest scientific insights into canine welfare.
Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the friendly and energetic team of the shelter, led by Anne Knauber, the chairwoman and veterinarian, and Lukas Walter, the manager. During the extensive two-hour tour, we got a behind-the-scenes look at their daily operations. What stood out was the unconditional love and dedication with which the team works. Every dog is treated with respect, and they actively consider each animal's individual needs, from medical care to mental stimulation.
A remarkable detail is that the shelter is so well-designed that hardly any barking can be heard. This contributes to a calm and stress-free environment for the dogs. More about the shelter will follow in part two.
The meeting
In the photo, from left to right:
Marcel, Anne, Birgitta, Lucas, and the dog Jafar.
Donation check of EUR 40. This amount was made possible thanks to the first few visits of dogs who came to Sensory Garden Bella.
Sensory Garden Bella in Gangelt Germany has been open to dogs since March 1. It is affiliated with the Dutch Snuffle garden project. The contribution for a visit to the garden is 100% dedicated to a good cause. At Sensory Garden Bella, the amount is donated to the Tierschutzverein Kaiserslautern and Tierheim Heinsberg.
The Sensory Garden
The Sensory Garden is a true gem within the shelter. Since its creation in 2020, the garden has offered shelter dogs a safe, enclosed space where they can freely sniff, explore, and express their natural behavior.
With an area of 980 m² and a sturdy wooden fence 2 meters high, it is the perfect place for dogs to simply "be dogs."
On the picture, you see Iefke happily sniffing around.
Features of the Sensory Garden :
Design:
The garden has been carefully constructed with various elements that stimulate the curiosity of dogs, such as sandboxes, sniffing bushes, stacks of wood logs, a lookout tower, small bridges, and different surfaces like gravel and wood chips.
This photo gives an impression of what the Sensory Garden looks like when everything is lush and green again.
Every season of the year is different:
The garden still had its winter "look" when we were there, but that doesn't matter to the dogs. During our visit, the garden was already being prepared for spring. The herb garden, including a flowing water feature and a wheatgrass bed—which dogs absolutely love—was being updated.
On the picture you see the different surfaces but in "winter look"
Mental stimulation & training:
The Sensory Garden is not only used for mental stimulation but also for puppy training. In these sessions, puppies are introduced to different surfaces, which is essential for their development and confidence. Additionally, the Sensory Garden is utilized for introducing new dogs to one another and for muscle building after surgeries.
On the picture: Iefke (9 years old) and Bob (12,5 years old)
Shaded environment:
The Sensory Garden has many large trees that provide natural shade on warm days. This makes the garden more comfortable not only for the dogs but also for their handlers.
On the picture: Marcel, Lukas, Iefke and Bob
The Sniffing experience from Bob and Iefke
Our own dogs, Iefke and Bob, had the unique opportunity to experience the Snuffeltuin and showcase their natural behaviors. Their reactions were wonderful and emphasized the importance of this garden:
- Iefke (9 years old): As soon as she was allowed into the garden, she immediately began sniffing. With her nose close to the ground, she explored the garden step by step, from the fence to the sandbox and the bridges. Thanks to her tracker, we could see that she wandered through the garden for an impressive 42 minutes before she finally lay down contentedly next to Bob to rest. See the photo next right.
- Bob (12,5 years old): Although he sniffed less extensively than Iefke, he visibly enjoyed the garden. His curiosity and relaxation highlighted how valuable this experience was for him.
Iefke and Bob used to sniff
Anne and Lukas noted that Iefke and Bob are clearly dogs who are used to sniffing and are given the freedom to do so. This contrasts with some other dogs they've observed that don't know how to sniff properly. Often, these dogs stand puzzled, unsure of what to do. I've noticed this behavior also in my own garden as well, among dogs who likely had little freedom and were pulled away when they tried to sniff.
YouTube Video's from Bob and Iefke
The positive impact of a Sensory Garden
Upon returning home, Iefke and Bob fell into a deep, relaxed sleep—a clear sign of a successful and satisfying day. This visit has once again shown us the immense value of a Snuffeltuin and has further motivated us to spread this concept even more widely.
Purpose of this report With this report, we hope to inspire other animal shelters in Germany and beyond to create a Snuffeltuin in their shelters as well. To the best of our knowledge, the Kaiserslautern animal shelter is currently the only shelter in Germany that has a Snuffeltuin. The positive effects are clearly visible, and we believe this approach can significantly improve the well-being of dogs everywhere.
Wish In the coming months, we are very much looking forward to visiting the Kaiserslautern animal shelter again. In the meantime, we hope to inspire more dog owners, shelters, dog schools, and others to realize a Snuffeltuin, so that even more dogs can enjoy the many positive effects that such a garden offers.
Would you like to learn more about this animal shelter? Visit their website at https://www.tierheim-kaiserslautern.de/
A Sensory /Snuffle garden for shelter dogs in the Carl Hildebrand Animal Shelter in Kaiserslautern!
Read the exclusive article about Snuffle garden in Tierheim Carl Hildebrand Kaiserslautern here.
Friends4ever has spoken with Anne Knauber and Jessica Bende in August 2020.
Anne Knauber is Chairman and veterinarian of the shelter.
Jessica Bende is a dog behaviourist at the shelter
Hopefully the animal shelter in Kaiserslautern is an inspiration for other shelters!
The animal shelter in Kaiserslautern:
The Carl Hildebrand animal shelter in Kaiserslautern was built in 1932 and was renovated in 2012 according to the latest requirements. The shelter is a way build that dogs cannot get stress from other dogs, but also not from visitors. The dogs can be observed from a higher observation point instead of walking right past the dog kennel. In December 2020 they had 19 puppy’s, 11 dogs, 30 cats, some rabbits and birds, turtles and other exotic animals.
In total there work 15 employees plus volunteers.
Since 2020, a Snuffle garden has been added
About the Snuffle garden:
The Snuffle garden is 950m2 of size and is secured with a wooden fence, so that there is no view from the outside and the dogs are also not distracted by things that happen outside the garden. The Snuffle garden will be expanded in the near future, so that there will be an exciting 1500 m2 of sniffing fun.
The shelter received a lot of donations from grants like MUEEF (the German ministry for environment, food, Agriculture and forest), animal lovers, a crowdfunding campaign, the German Animal Protection “Tierschutzbund. The design and labour of the planting of the green sections of the garden was sponsored by Nathalie from her company www.wildes-gartenherz.de.
What does the Snuffle garden look like?
The Snuffle garden has a garden with different herbs, a path with different surfaces such as molars, wood chips, sand and large stones. There are straw bales, bushes and an exploration platform. Occasionally, an enriched environment such as cardboard will be realised.
What do the employees think of the Snuffle garden?
The garden has already exceeded their expectations. Not only when it comes to mental well-being but also the physical health. Dogs that have to rehabilitate just after an operation benefit greatly from, for example, the different surfaces to strengthen their muscles and bones.
They have to think when they walk over certain stones and at the same time they benefits from building their physics.
Advantages of a Snuffle garden for dogs in shelters:
- Dogs can become calmer by sniffing
- More self-confident
- Walk around freely in a safe environment
- Mental challenge
- Own pace, without pressure from others
- Sniffing reduces the stress level
- More variety in their life in the shelter
- Dog relaxes
- The dog can get over fears (eg noise / foreign objects) because curiosity overcomes
- follow natural instinct (Dogs are nose animals)
- It arouses their curiosity
- Stimulates natural movement
- Stimulates learning ability
How often do shelter dogs come to the Snuffle garden?
Most dogs that are in a training program come into the Snuffle garden every day.
However, this depends on the tailor-made program for the dog, which is different for each dog. The dogs do not stay in the garden for more than half an hour. Sometimes the visit to the Snuffle garden is part of a training, but the dogs are also allowed to browse all alone and freely, so that they can do their thing.
gs in shelters:
About the dogs in the shelter:
Many dogs are brought to the shelter for the following reasons
- Unfortunately, there are many biting incidents nowadays and people bring their dog to a shelter.
- Dogs or puppies that are confiscated are also taken to the Carl Hildebrand shelter in Kaiserslautern, among others.
- *Dogs with “problem behaviour” from other shelters are sometimes also placed in this shelter. These dogs follow a special program at the shelter that is also called HUKO. Before the dog can participate with the HUKO program are they first fully checked to see if they are healthy. Often there are also behavioural problems because a dog is in pain. Then they start working with the certified dog trainers in the specially equipped training centre at the shelter. People who adopt a HUKO dog are very well guided. A program is tailor-made for this dog with adopter. The people are then also guided at home.
Last year the shelter won an award from the MUEEF (the German ministry for environment, food, Agriculture and forest). They received the animal protection award because of the “HUKO” project*
The Snuffle garden also helps the dogs with this.
You can read more on their website: www.tierheim-kaiserslautern.de
Please read more about the Snuffle Garden and their projects in their magazine
The very first Sensory Garden in an animal shelter in the Netherlands! (as far as is known to the editors of the Dutch Snuffle garden project).
Alexis is assistant manager at the Bommelerwaard Animal Shelter. Earlier this year Alexis attended our workshop “Creating a snuffle garden for your dog”. Alexis said that they already do a lot for the dogs at the animal shelter in terms of enrichment such as offering snuffle mats, doing brain work games and they created a sensory garden for dogs.
The editors of the Sensory garden 4 dogs project were immediately pleasantly surprised, because we think a sensory garden in a shelter is important and want to promote it as much as possible. A sensory garden has a positive effect on the well-being of shelter dogs. In the UK there have been sensory gardens in shelters for many years, in the shelter in Genk in Belgium there is also a sensory garden. And in 2020 a sensory garden has been realised in the animal shelter in Kaiserslautern in Germany. The chairman Anne Knaube said during an interview that they are very enthusiastic about the positive effect of a sensory garden for dogs*
So it's about time for us for an interview with Alexis from this great shelter. The interview took place by telephone on July 15, 2022.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: Where is the Sensory Garden located in the shelter?
Alexis: Behind the shelter there are 5 fields, of which 1 field is set up as a sensory garden for the shelter dogs. This is a temporary sensory garden because a new building is coming up. We hope that this will be completed by the end of the year and that the sensory garden can be put into use next year. This will be at the front of the building, which can also be visited by outsiders. The new sensory garden will therefore be furnished with different surfaces, sniffing plants, etc. At the moment, the temporary sensory garden is not open to outsiders, because owners with dogs then would have to walk past the shelter dogs, which in turn causes a lot of unrest among our dogs. Our idea is that then people will have a nice outing with the dog and at the same time they can help shelter dogs through their visit/donation.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: What does the Sensory garden look like?
Alexis: The sensory garden is about 8 x 8 metres big. There are paving stones all around, some soil and grass in the middle. There is a wooden playhouse with a hard plastic slide at the back. An extra floor has been made, so that the dogs can easily go one floor higher. We left the slide on. Some daring little dogs even go down the slide. The big dogs examine the house from top to bottom. There is a large tree that provides shade. There are car tires, a pile of wood and stones scattered throughout the garden. There are sniffing mats scattered around that are sometimes filled with food. There are really all kinds of things used to let dogs sniff.
When the weather is nice, there are shells that we fill with water and sometimes we hide balls in them. Dogs really like this too. There are also digging options, so we excavated a piece with sand in it, but the dogs can actually dig anywhere.
Hills have been made containing sewer pipes. Dogs find this fun and exciting. However, this was made on a different field, because we try to make something interesting for the dogs on every field.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: Is the sensory garden fenced?
Alexis: The garden is fenced with wire mesh and there are sheet piles separating the fields. This is done so that the dogs can't see each other. The height is 2 metres 10. This is also done for more safety to prevent dogs from jumping over it. Dogs that are known to escape easily will only go into the fields where the mesh is slanted to avoid climbing.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: Do you see a positive effect of the sensory garden on the dogs?
Alexis: For many dogs it is desirable that they are busy with their heads. We have seen this, for example, in an ADHD dog, a real bouncing ball. This dog became completely relaxed after a sniffing session and was much calmer for the rest of the afternoon. You can see with many dogs that they are very interested in the sensory garden, where they can stimulate their senses.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: How Often Do Dogs Enter a sensory Garden?
Alexis: We mainly look at what a dog likes to do. One dog likes to play and the other dog likes to sniff. There are a number of other fields with activities for dogs. We try to find a daily change for every dog through a schedule. We also look at what a dog can or cannot handle. There is also a dog that demolishes and it therefore cannot not come into the sensory garden unless someone stays with it..
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: When was the sensory garden established?
Alexis: I dare not say that because I have been working here for about 5 or 6 years and since then there has always been something of a sniffing garden. This sensory garden has been improved and expanded over the years.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: Is the sniffing garden also used for, for example, meetings with people who are interested in a dog?
Alexis: We don't meet interested parties in shelter dogs in our sensory garden, we usually do this outside the shelter, because dogs tend to be much more relaxed there. If people come with their own dog, the meeting is always outside. The shelter dog gets put on a safety harness and we first go for a walk to see how they react to each other.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: How Many Dogs are there at the moment?
Alexis: That varies a lot from week to week. Sometimes we have 10 dogs and then only 3. When kennels are empty, these kennels are used for people who want to house their dog somewhere during their vacation. This gives us extra income, which benefits the shelter.
Sensory Garden 4 Dogs: Thank you Alexis for your time and this interview. We would like to be kept informed of your good work and new construction. We would like to promote your future sensory garden via our website and FB page, so that hopefully you will receive extra donations by then.
We hope that other shelters in the Netherlands and other countries have been extra inspired to start something too.
Another great way to help shelter dogs is that there are also sensory gardens that make their garden available to shelter dogs. Such as, for example, the Breda shelter. They have entered into a collaboration with sensory garden “Snuffeltuin Pawsitive” in Breda and the indoor sensory garden “Dogs own choice” with the local shelter in Hoogkarspel.
If you want to read more about Animal Shelter Bommelerwaard in Bruchem or if you are interested in the dog Noeska from the picture you can find info on
List of Sensory /Snuffle gardens in shelters per country
Shelter in Belgium
Genk - animal shelter
Shelters in Germany
Animal Shelter in Kaiserslautern
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Shelters in the Netherlands
