Making a Difference For Pets, People, and Our Community.

Our programs are designed to support homeless animals, educate our community, and create opportunities for pets and people to thrive together. Explore our current programs below and check back often as we continue adding new programs and initiatives.

Cans for Critters

Recycle to Save Lives

Every aluminum can helps provide food, medical care, enrichment, and second chances for homeless animals at DCHS. Collecting and recycling aluminum cans is a simple way for individuals, schools, businesses, churches, and community groups to support our lifesaving mission.

Cans for Critters turns something as simple as an empty can into meaningful support for animals in need. Whether you collect a few cans at home, organize a collection at your workplace or school, or encourage an entire group to participate, every contribution helps. It’s an easy, environmentally friendly way to give back while helping DCHS provide the care our animals need while they wait for their forever homes. Together, those small donations add up to make a big difference.

  • We collect aluminum cans to help with medical needs, food, etc. for the shelter animals. We take the aluminum cans to A&C Recycling in Florence about every 6 weeks.

  • We ask that everyone donating the aluminum cans put them in a trash bag and tie it securely. Some donors will crush the cans, which is great. This allows us to take more bags and maybe make less trips.

    No steel cans, aluminum foil, or pie pans.

    The recycling center requests that no one brings a large bag with small bags inside. It disrupts the process and they could deduct the amount we receive.

  • You drive to the back of the shelter where there is a wooden fenced in area with a Cans for Critters sign on it. You place your trash bag(s) in the chain link fenced in section with another sign on it.

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Pawsitive Vibes

Youth-Led Shelter Enrichment & Public Advocacy

Pawsitive Vibes is a hands-on program designed to build real-world skills in animal welfare and low-stress care for high school students ages 14-16. Students will meet twice a week for 6 weeks. The 3 phases of the program include a foundation in fear free (you will become fear free certified), hands-on enrichment creation, and targeted social media advocacy.

The program also extends beyond the shelter by encouraging youth to promote adoptable animals and raise awareness about responsible pet ownership, fostering, rescue, and adoption. Through Shelter Enrichment, Public Advocacy, Youth Leadership, and Community Engagement, Pawsitive Vibes turns compassion into action while inspiring the next generation of animal advocates.

Apply to the program below by October 12, 2026.

  • Shelter Enrichment

    • Toys

    • Play

    • Socialization

    • Reading

    • Creative Projects

    Public Advocacy

    • Adoption Promotion

    • Responsible Pet Ownership

    • Foster & Rescue Awareness

    Youth Leadership

    • Service Learning

    • Confidence

    • Teamwork

    • Real-World Impact

    Stronger Communities

    • Kindness

    • Education

    • Compassion

    • Change

  • Your experience starts with completing official Fear Free Certification. Understanding Fear Free care is crucial—it teaches you how to recognize emotional signals, minimize animal stress, and prioritize emotional well-being above all else. This foundation changes how you read, interact with, and care for shelter pets.

  • With your Fear Free training complete, you will put that knowledge directly into action by designing and crafting customized enrichment toys and activities. Using low-stress principles, you will create sensory items, puzzle feeders, and targeted enrichment tools tailored specifically to comfort animals and keep their minds active.

  • Armed with your understanding of animal behavior, you will shift focus to our longest-stay residents—specifically targeting the 15 dogs that have been in our play yards the longest. You’ll craft high-impact social media content, write compelling bio profiles, and capture eye-catching photos and videos to build a platform designed to grab potential adopters' attention and get these deserving dogs seen and adopted!

Student Program Application

Treat App

Play with Our Dogs. Impact Their Lives.

We’re excited to share a fun new way to support our shelter dogs! With the Treat app, you can play a mobile game and send real treats and other goodies directly to dogs at DCHS—and the treats are shipped to us for FREE! Even better, you can follow the dogs you’re helping and receive a notification when one of them gets adopted. Our pups are already loving all the goodies that have been sent their way!

Getting started is easy. Download the Treat app using our special link: https://treatva.onelink.me/rVix/SC170 and start playing anytime, anywhere. Your gameplay helps provide our dogs with treats, full tummies, enrichment, and a little extra happiness while they wait for their forever homes. It’s a simple and fun way to turn everyday screen time into something meaningful for a shelter dog! 

More Programs Coming Soon!

We are always working on new ways to support our animals and community. Check back soon for additional programs and opportunities to get involved!