Marion 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 allowed us to purchase better safety gear for our dogs, including reliable harnesses, collars, and seatbelts for traveling in cars. We have also been able to provide items of convenience for volunteers taking dogs out, such as treats, treat bags, and water bowls. A lot of our dogs are very treat-motivated, so the treats and treat bags have really improved everyone’s experience, from volunteers to staff at events to the dogs themselves.
We have had at least three dogs (Lycan, Bocephus, and Storm) adopted this summer by the volunteers who took them out for the day. We also had a dog (Aura) go out on a sleepover with a potential adopter. They opted not to adopt, but we gained valuable knowledge about a dog we had thought was completely dog-friendly. It turns out she is dog friendly except when she resource-guards human furniture. This information helped us find a suitable home and better prepare Aura’s eventual adopters. She has been successfully placed in her home for several months.
Plus, this equipment has helped staff. We use the gear when we hold adoption events around the community. Previously, we did not have enough “Adopt Me” vests for all the dogs. Now we always have enough “Adopt Me” bandannas. And when we ordered the equipment, we set up a designated station with all the Doggy Day Out/field-trip supplies.
Employees have said they like the new clean and undamaged harnesses. Now they don’t have to hope they can find a safe harness that fits the dog they are sending out, since donated supplies are often used and can be in poor condition.
They also say that having gear specifically set aside and sorted for Doggy Days Out/field trips makes sending dogs out much easier and quicker. As at most shelters, staff members always have a million tasks they need to work on. By streamlining the process, staff is less stressed and interactions with members of the public are more relaxed and positive.
And finally, we contract with a team of dog behaviorists called Dr. Woof. Usually they visit the shelter, but they decided to take a few dogs out after they saw the gear this grant allowed us to purchase. Sometimes they take a dog for the day and sometimes for the weekend. In the meantime, those dogs get a more accurate behavior assessment, amazing positive reinforcement, and some great advertising.
The day after Dr. Woof posted a reel of a dog named Target who'd been with us for almost a year, a man walked through the door asking to adopt him. Target has been in that home for three months now.
How many pets did this grant help?
90+
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
When volunteers take a dog out for the day or a sleepover, we always ask them to post about it on social media and/or send us pictures. Several of the pictures here are of a wonderful dog named Quasi (photos 1 and 2). He’s such an easygoing dog that we often send him out with volunteers.
Recently he’s become quite the ambassador for our Doggy Day Out program and the other dogs at the shelter. He still hasn’t been adopted but that is only a matter of time. He is one of our longest residents, so it is crucial that he gets a break from the shelter and can be seen in a different light other than being just another big black dog barking in his kennel.
We have already had several dogs adopted by people taking them out of the shelter, though. One of our previous ambassador dogs, Bocephus, went out with over a dozen volunteers on day trips and sleepovers before he was adopted by the woman who took him on his final Doggy Day Out (third photo).
Our favorite adoption story has to be Lycan’s. Lycan (photos 4-6) is a young pit bull terrier/border collie mix. He had a ton of energy and a high prey drive when he arrived. After all, he was just 10 months old.
Almost as soon as he became available for adoption and our field-trip program, people began to take him out. Then one afternoon the owners of our local cat café that we often partner with decided they wanted a dog to join them for their afternoon walk. That was all they intended. But then they had so much fun that they asked to keep him overnight. By the time staff came in the next morning, we had a message from them asking how they could go about adopting Lycan. Their account of the whole field-trip process is so heartwarming, we just had to share:
“When you get to the shelter, you’ll need a driver’s license and your proof of car insurance. You fill out some paperwork about your responsibilities. Shelter staff set me up with a bag that had treats, toys, a water bowl, doggie bags, and papers with information and emergency contact numbers. They also got me set up with a dog seatbelt, and even some towels since it was rainy that day.
“They let me take Lycan out for the day and he was SUCH a sweet boy. He came with a harness ready to go. I took him to Dunkin’ for a pup cup, then we went to Prickett’s Fort to try to walk the trail and it POURED the rain down on us. Soggy, we drove down to Pet Works and the employees are always the absolute sweetest. We got treats and a new toy.
“After that, we went to Tractor Supply to smell the flowers, and then he came home with me for a little bit. My husband loved him and walked him, and the shelter gave us permission to keep him for a sleepover! Before we let him stay over, we took him back to Pet Works for a bath; it was like $15 for 30 minutes at the nice wash stations, and the shampoo and towels were included. This isn’t even sponsored or anything – I just love them up there.
“Lycan did amazing with the house kitties, settled right in, cuddled with us on the couch, and we fell in love with him …
“And I officially adopted him!”
