Welcome to the Sensory Garden at Lombard Veterinary Hospital
The Sensory Garden at Lombard Veterinary Hospital, built by our Rehabilitation Department, is a private outdoor enrichment space designed to provide dogs with a safe environment for exploration, mental stimulation, and physical activity. This dedicated area allows dogs to engage their senses, enjoy movement, and experience a positive form of enrichment in a secure setting.
Each self-guided Sensory Garden session is 30 minutes long and is reserved for one dog at a time or for families with multiple dogs, creating a calm and personalized experience.
This private dog enrichment experience is also included as part of our boarding program, providing dogs staying at Lombard Veterinary Hospital with additional opportunities for exercise, engagement, and mental enrichment throughout their stay.
Our Sensory Garden is open during our normal business hours.
- Daily: 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM | 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM
- Holidays: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Video Tour of the Sensory Garden
Join Us For Our Grand Opening Event
Our Sensory Garden Grand Opening is scheduled for Saturday, August 8th from 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. This interactive event is perfect for dogs of all ages and activity levels. Join us to learn how the Sensory Garden can support your dog's rehabilitation, confidence, and behavior. They will be able to enjoy interactive scent games and enrichment activities. You will be able to explore the Sensory Garden in small groups and try the different equipment. Plus learn about the basics of scent discrimination and target odor training. Space is limited to the first 30 registrants.
RSVP to the Sensory Garden Grand Opening
Sensory Enrichment
The Sensory Garden is perfect for all dogs to come and sniff around. It is beneficial for:
- Senior dogs
- Dogs recovering from injury or surgery
- Dogs with arthritis or mobility limitations
- Dogs on exercise restrictions
- Anxious or high-energy dogs needing safe mental outlets
The Sensory Garden at Lombard Veterinary Hospital: Promoting Healthy and Happy Dogs
Dogs experience the world primarily through smell, so the garden is filled with opportunities for safe scent exploration and sensory engagement. The Sensory Garden features a variety of dog-safe enrichment elements designed to encourage exploration, engagement, and mental stimulation. This includes dog-safe herbs such as lemon balm, sage, rosemary, and thyme; seasonal fruits and vegetables, including blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. We have also included scent enrichment tubes featuring animal scents such as goose, fox, elk, coyote, buffalo, sheep, and more.
The garden is continuously growing and changing, creating new scents, textures, and experiences throughout the seasons.
Movement and Exploration Obstacles
Our Sensory Garden encourages dogs to move, climb, balance, and explore through a variety of enrichment features, including:
- Paths with different walking surfaces
- A sand digging area
- Tires to climb and weave through
- A ramp and movement obstacles
All of the activities throughout the Sensory Garden are designed to support your dog's overall well-being by promoting mental stimulation and problem-solving, building confidence and body awareness, improving balance and coordination, encouraging safe physical activity and healthy energy release, and providing outlets for natural canine behaviors.
Sensory Garden Vaccination Requirements
With this being a shared space, for the health and safety of all dogs and visitors, the following vaccinations are required to use the Sensory Garden:
- Rabies Vaccination
- Distemper Vaccination
- Leptospirosis Vaccination
- Bordetella Vaccination
- Canine Influenza Vaccination
- Negative intestinal parasite test within the past 6 months
If your dog isn't feeling their best, please consider rescheduling to help keep the space healthy for all.
When You Arrive
Please park in one of the numbered spots and make your way to the far back left corner of the property, along the white fence. That is where the Sensory Garden adventure begins!
During Your Visit
Let your dog explore, sniff, and move at their own pace. This is not a playground, off-leash area, or training field. Please keep your dog on a leash at all times to help maintain a safe and peaceful experience for all visitors.
Before You Leave
We kindly ask that you pick up after your pet if they go to the bathroom while using the Sensory Garden.
We want you and your dog to have fun while exploring the Sensory Garden. We encourage you to take pictures and videos while using the space. Please feel free to share them with us on social media.
Get Ready! Get Set! Go Explore!
The Sensory Garden is complimentary for Lombard Veterinary Hospital clients. It must be scheduled in advance through online booking (coming soon) or by calling and speaking with a member of our Client Service Team.
After the Grand Opening, you will be able to schedule your dog's 30-minute enrichment experience by clicking here. We can't wait to see you and your dog here, exploring the Sensory Garden.
Lombard Veterinary Hospital's Sensory Garden was built by our Rehabilitation Team as a community offering. We hope you and your pup enjoy your time here. This space wouldn't have been possible without the support of the LVH Run/Walk Club and the generous donations from our clients. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
To learn more about Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy at Lombard Veterinary Hospital: