Darlington County Humane Society: Dog Field Trip/Short-Term Fostering Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This grant has been transformative for our Paws Around the Pee Dee field-trip program, directly enhancing the quality of life for the dogs in our care. By providing the funding to purchase 250 fully-equipped field-trip kits, the grant ensures that each dog heads out with a dedicated backpack containing a leash, car-seat harness, bowls, and waste bags.
These supplies remove the logistical barriers to getting dogs out of the shelter environment. Specifically, this grant will enable 250 dogs to participate in off-site adventures this year. These trips are vital for:
1. Decompression: Giving high-energy or long-stay dogs a much-needed break from the stress of the kennel environment.
2. Visibility: Increasing the chances of adoption by getting dogs out into the community where potential adopters can see them in a relaxed, real-world setting.
3. Behavioral data: Allowing volunteers to observe how dogs react to new environments, cars, and strangers, which helps us make more successful, permanent placements.
Ultimately, these 250 field trips represent 250 opportunities for our dogs to be seen, loved, and, eventually, sent to their forever homes.
How many pets did this grant help?
250
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
When Churro (first photo) first arrived, she was the definition of a “shut-down” dog. She was overwhelmed and shy in her kennel, and the strain of the shelter was clear. However, during our playgroups, she would completely light up, revealing a joyful, social personality that just needed a break from the noise.
On Feb. 14, for our “Pal and a Confidant” field trip, Churro got exactly what she needed: a buddy. In a heartwarming coincidence, a husband and wife — Michael and Gwenn — arrived in separate cars, each ready to take a dog out. They decided to team up so the dogs could enjoy the day together (second and third photos).
“I had Churro, a beautiful lady who is scared of loud noises but is a cuddle bug and was just aching for connection,” Gwenn said. “My husband had Clank, who was full of energy and loved to cuddle as well. We enjoyed our time together. We will definitely take them on more adventures.”
While the volunteers fell in love with their “cuddle bugs,” the impact of these trips went far beyond that single afternoon. The photos, videos, and behavioral notes gathered during the outings provided the “social proof” needed to save lives.
As a direct result of the information shared from these field trips, Churro was seen by her forever family and was adopted shortly after. Churro, now Mazzy, is enjoying her new home in Myrtle Beach. She has an 8-year-old rescue sister (fourth photo), a big yard to play in, and her very own Lamby (fifth photo).
Churro’s new dad says, “Darlington County Humane Society, all of you did such an amazing job with her and all the other babies! We had four babies on our list we thought would be good with our Libby, and Mazzy (Churro) was first on the list and we didn’t need to go any further! My wife and I were telling Danielle how much it helped us having such amazing information and videos of all the pups to decide who we thought would work best with our baby Libby. She’s approximately 8 years old and has an autoimmune disease, so some times she just needs to rest and we needed a pup that understood Libby might not be able to play and Mazzy has ABSOLUTELY BEEN THAT BABY already within the first 24 hours!
“Mazzy has done absolutely incredible! The second morning, they both just got up out of bed and went out and went potty and came back in to both one of the go right back on the bed and go to sleep a little bit longer. She’s had no accidents in the house whatsoever. She’s slept with my wife and I and Libby in the bed both nights and did absolutely incredible. They have gotten along so well. It stormed here yesterday evening with pretty bad thunder, and Libby gets very scared during storms because she was chained up to a abandoned trailer in Conway for over four months before someone finally called to let someone know that she’d been stuck out there with no shelter or no food and water. So storms really do a number on her. They did not seem to bother Mazzy at all, and she actually went up and cuddled with Libby when Libby was scared and shaking, and it actually calmed down. It was the sweetest thing ever. They are doing so good together. We are so happy we could not ask for a better addition to our family.”
In addition, three other long-stay dogs — Rue, at the shelter since October 2025 (photo 5); Pringle, since October 2024 (photo 7); and Freckles, since December 2025 (photos 8 and 9) — were all pulled by rescue partners.
By getting these dogs out of the kennel and into the community, we were able to show their true personalities, leading to four successful outcomes from one dedicated day of adventure. And Clank (photo 10) is still waiting for his turn to find a forever home!
