November Enrichment: The Barksville Blizzard and the Big Thanksgiving Feast

In November 2025, Metro Animals daycare dogs in Fort Worth and Plano started Barksville Blizzard, a four-week themed enrichment adventure with sniffing games, puzzle challenges, foraging through crumpled paper and an ice bucket group activity.

November kicked off something new at Metro Animals in Fort Worth and Plano: Barksville Blizzard Month, four weeks of themed enrichment for our daycare dogs, with five different activities each week. Pups could join for a single activity, a week or the whole month.

The story

In Barksville, the dog bowls were polished, the harvest baskets were full to the brim, and the biggest Thanksgiving Feast the town had ever seen was right around the corner. The plan: a season of gratitude with sniffing games, puzzle challenges and a feast table piled high with biscuits, bones and belly rubs.

Then the Stormcast came in. Storm clouds were gathering, strong winds were blowing and the first snowflakes of winter were drifting into town — a blizzard warning, from tonight through to next week. Authorities advised staying indoors and playing with your pooch. Would the feast go ahead as planned, or was Barksville in for a frosty surprise?

What the month held

• Week 1: The Blizzard Warning — the Yeti trail, sniffing out blankets for the donation baskets and the Barksville ice bucket group enrichment.
• Week 2: The Harvest Drive — the Cornucopia Snuffle, a Harvest Gratitude Walk and a sensory activity with donated blankets and towels.
• Week 3: The Barksville Super Center — a supermarket sweep through the storm, with an obstacle-course aisle, a cup game and a trick routine at the checkout.
• Week 4: The Yeti Joins the Feast — the Yeti’s snowy den, feast puzzles, riddle boxes and a balance walk across the banquet table.

Week 1: The Blizzard Warning

With the storm on its way, the pups set out to find the Yeti trail together. In front of a snowy Barksville backdrop they foraged through tubs of crumpled paper and went to work on the donation baskets — in Plano, Louie was hard at work sniffing out blankets to donate before the blizzard hit. Outside, the Barksville ice bucket group enrichment gave the group something new to investigate, and we loved seeing what each dog did with it.

Every dog took the activities their own way. Some went slow and steady, some goofed around, and all of them had a great time. Our senior pack members joined right in, too — proof that old dogs really can do new tricks. And all that sniffing and snuffling is more than fun: it’s a form of exercise for dogs.

Giving back

Barksville’s feast was all about gratitude, so all month long we ran the Barksville Thanksgiving Drive, collecting old towels and blankets for local shelters, including the Plano Animal Shelter, to give shelter dogs a soft, comforting stay while they wait for their forever homes. Thank you to every family who cleared out a linen closet.

A Thanksgiving tip

In the spirit of the feast, here is a snack you can share with your dog over the holidays: pumpkin. In small amounts, whether purée or the pumpkin itself (without seeds), it’s a sweet and healthy treat.

Watch the week

This month’s adventure

• The story begins (week 1) (this post)
• Week 2: The Harvest Drive
• Week 3: The Barksville Super Center
• Week 4: The Yeti Joins the Feast

How to join the next adventure

Enrichment is an add-on to any daycare day at Metro Animals — ask for it at drop-off, by the day, the week or the whole month. It’s part of the program that earned us the highest score in the country at the 2024 Dog Gurus Daycare Games. Read more about how our enrichment works, and if your pup is new to the pack, find your nearest location — every new dog’s first day is free.

It’s a great day to play!

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