Cabot Animal Support Services: Dog Field Trip/Short-Term Fostering Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The grant was used to create go-bags for our Hounds on the Town Doggie Field Trip program. Specifically, we purchased canvas bags with our logo, "business" cards to hand out to anyone interested in a dog while on an outing, Adopt Me bandanas, water bowls, poo bags, pens and folders for outing-goers to write up a report card, and custom logo stickers for the water bowls and for windows of businesses that allow pets.

We have seen an increase in the number of Hounds on the Town outings, which directly resulted in more rescue tags, fosters, and adoptions. In addition, we're noticing happier, sleepier pets when they return from an outing.

How many pets did this grant help?

Thanks to supported self-rehoming and public return-to-home methods, the number of pets in the shelter has decreased. Currently, nine individual dogs have been able to go on outings; of those, four have been able to go out more than once.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Mr. Rogers (first and second photos) was our resident old man. He was having a hard time finding a foster or adopter because of his age. A community member took him out on a Hounds on the Town outing and showed off his “young dog” side. As a result, he was quickly tagged by a rescue organization!

Raj (third and fourth photos) had kennel anxiety during his stay at the shelter. As a result, he didn’t show well in the kennel to potential adopters, and rescues were hesitant to tag him based on his exhibited behavior. Through his Hounds on the Town outings, Raj’s anxiety decreased and he was adopted by a loving family!