Sheila and Winny (Sheila Harper Ltd) have helped Pat and Jenny set up the sensory garden. Sheila and Winny have set up a sensory garden abroad and have helped many dogs in shelters find a home by turning their lives around and showing the carers how, by making simple changes, they can transform a dog’s behaviour even in kennels and not using harsh out of date methods and using a sensory garden to relax and make them feel safe and develop skills they need in their new life.

The sensory garden, which is situated at Hillsborough Golf Club, Sheffield, is a safe place to take your dog for a relaxing, self calming session, building on life skills to assist with their integration into our society, or a place to self select the herbs they need to help them at that particular time.

The garden is an enriched environment where dogs under supervision can build on their life skills and de-stress by using the natural environment which contains herbs and objects, both natural and artificial for them to sniff and they can take the herbs if they choose to do so. The objects are to build confidence. There are different surfaces for them to investigate and to use.

There is a safe area for dogs that do not like big open spaces.  In this area are various herbs and objects for them to use but on a smaller scale.

There is a small wooded area that gives the dogs the opportunity to learn in a different environment.

The garden is an ideal place to practice safe lead handling skills where we can show you how to correctly use the lead, and your body, to walk and not be pulled along. For dogs that have issues with other dogs, learning social skills in a safe area is a rare commodity therefore this is an ideal place to be able to help dogs that have little or no social understanding.

All clients are supported and the dog’s welfare comes first. The client will have their own booking slot so that they do not meet another dog coming in after them. We have found that most dogs have had enough after 30 minutes. The sniffing and processing the smells tires them out