Bensalem Girl Scout helps Bucks County shelter dogs de-stress with sensory garden

A love for animals, a desire to one day become a veterinarian and a goal of receiving a high honor from Girl Scouts led Angelina Schoener to complete a project that will enhance the lives of shelter dogs during their stay at the Women’s Animal Center. 

Angelina’s long journey with the Girl Scouts, which began in first grade, culminated Saturday with her building a sensory garden for dogs at the Bensalem animal shelter on Richlieu Road. Since September, she has been planning the project to earn the Silver Award, the highest award for a Girl Scout Cadette.

Angelina, 14, and a group of volunteers transformed a patch of grass at the shelter into an outdoor space with dog-safe scented plants, stepping stones and calming wind chimes to enrich the garden for those with paws. 

“When you think of giving back to the community the first thing you may think of is helping people but you don't always think about animals. Pets make our lives so much happier and animals should be one of our top priorities,” said Angelina, who will be attending Bensalem High School in the fall. 

Angelina spent nearly 10 hours preparing the proposal for the garden, and then countless hours researching what would make the best atmosphere for the dogs. The research put into the project is shown through the plants Angelina chose for the garden such as rosemary and mint, which are two nontoxic plants with several health benefits for dogs.

Angelina managed to complete the garden while maintaining her school work and participating in several other extracurriculars such as karate and jujitsu. She admitted that at times throughout the process she became overwhelmed, but her passion for the project kept her motivated. 

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“It was difficult because I was busy with schoolwork during the week. Then I had activities. So taking out my free time to work on this was definitely draining. But always in the back of my head, I was like I love the project. I want to do it,” said Angelina.

Angelina added that her mother, Ann Schoener, was one of her biggest motivators and helped keep her focused.

“We are really proud of her. She is a very determined person and accomplishes what she sets out to do,” said Ann Schoener.

A requirement of the Silver Award is to raise donations for a community-based project. Angelina said several local businesses pitched in to help bring the sensory garden to life.  Flower Station in Montgomery County, Castle Garden Center in Lower South Hampton and the Neshaminy Home Depot are just a few of the businesses that donated flowers, mulch and topsoil for the garden.

Jack Griffin, director of shelter services at Women’s Animal Center, said that the shelter was eager to work with Angelina. He explained that the garden ties in perfectly with the Women’s Animal Center’s goal of making animals as comfortable as possible while in the shelter’s care.

“Obviously, getting walked is important. But this provides an additional layer for the dogs. It gives them additional sights, smells and feels rather than just going out to go to the bathroom,” said Griffin. 

Angelina with her group of volunteers spent a sunny Saturday morning digging and by the afternoon the garden was ready for the dogs.

“When you see the outcome it is all worth it. Because I see all these people smiling and everybody's happy. It's definitely a really cool experience. It taught me a lot of responsibility and showed me what I was capable of,” said Angelina, when reflecting on her completed project.