Donna Fritzke, fundraising co-ordinator at the Moose Jaw Humane Society (MJHS), says hundreds of people have answered a Facebook request for crafters to help make snuffle mats and snuffle balls.
“We supply all the crafting items, and they make them for us,” said Fritzke. “It is amazing to me how people are so willing to help, and it raises money for the shelter. So it’s a win-win.”
The mats are made from plastic dollar-store bath mats — the kind with the suction cups on the bottom — and scraps of fabric from donated felt blankets. The balls are made from the same fabric.
The idea is to tuck the treats inside so your pet can smell them — even though they’re a bit of a challenge to find. Pet owners can then watch their cat or dog snuffle around trying to get the treats. Catnip, of course, is also an option.
Fritzke said the shelter can’t keep them in stock. The toys proved especially popular during the winter when people weren’t getting out as much. The mats help with stress, boredom, and anxiety.
Melissa Sullivan teaches Grade 8 at Emerald Ridge Elementary School in White City. She saw the MJHS’s Facebook post and thought it would make a great crafting project for her students.
“We were looking for a service project to do, it’s part of our curriculum,” Sullivan said. “I thought, what a great opportunity for them to do something that’s a little bit crafty that also has a service project mindset.”
The shelter supplied everything they needed, and 52 Grade 8 students are now making a snuffle mat each.
Moose Jaw Families for Change are helping to make snuffle toys too. Snuffle mat crafting is an option for anyone who attends the day program. Program co-ordinator Mariah Horsnall said that folks at the day program are enjoying the partnership and finding the crafting activity relaxing.
About 10 residents at West Park Crossing retirement home have taken to calling themselves the “Snuffle Mat Gang.”
Other participants include the local Girl Guides, the mental health unit at Dr. F.H. Wigmore Hospital, and the Mulberry Estates retirement home.
Individual community members around Moose Jaw have taken to the crafting as a kind of hobby, Fritzke said.
“People have been telling me how therapeutic it has been for them. I actually had a lady call me the other day, and she goes ‘I am so bored, do you have more mats and blankets? Because I want to make more of them.’ And I said, absolutely, pop by.”
There are different sizes of mats available. The sink mat sizes are $20, the bath mat sizes are $25, and there are heavy-duty mats for bigger dogs that $30 each.
There are, similarly, three sizes for the snuffle balls: small for $10, medium for $15, and large for $20.
Fritzke has had to make trips to Regina to buy the mats because the Moose Jaw dollar stores are running out.
Anyone interested in helping the Humane Society with crafting snuffle toys can contact them on Facebook, by calling 306-692-1517, or by emailing giving@mjhs.ca. You will receive mats and blankets and crafting instructions.
All money raised goes directly to help shelter animals.
