MARTINSBURG – A new program at the Berkeley County Humane Society is allowing participants to take a dog from the shelter on a day out, tagging along on trips like a walk or just a trip to PetSmart.
Brandy Bender, BCHS manager, started the program after watching a shelter in another state implement it and see success, getting the community involved and even seeing some of the dogs get adopted by participants in the program.
“I’ve been here for 20 years, and I always like to try to come up with new ideas, new programs to get the community involved with the animals,” Bender said. “We played with it for a little bit and wanted to see how it would go, and it took off really well.”
The program was officially announced on Tuesday night, and by the end of Wednesday, six dogs had already gone out for a day on the town. Some went with people to places like PetSmart or Tractor Supply, one went on a walk down the tow path, and one event went swimming near Harpers Ferry.
“It’s just to get them out of the shelter environment and let them enjoy the day out, meet people, stuff like that,” Bender said.
One of the dogs that was got its day out on Wednesday was Wale, one of four dogs BCHS saved a few days ago from being euthanized at a shelter in another county.
Not only is the program fun for the dogs, but it’s also a great way to learn more about them for when people eventually adopt. It helps the shelter find out information like how well they do in cars and how shy they may be around people.
The program does come with a few restrictions, asking participants not to let the dogs they take out meet other dogs, for safety reasons, have them back by 4 p.m. and to keep the dogs on leashes at all times.
Bender said the program will continue and hopes that going forward, more members of the community join in on the fun.
“We do take in a lot of animals here, and our community is fabulous,” Bender said. “I absolutely love our community here. We are able to save so many dogs from high-kill shelters and everything because of our community. Just being able to get out and get a car ride and get some fresh air and a Pup Cup as a treat is great for them.”
People that want to take a dog on a day out can do so by contacting BCHS on its Facebook page – Berkeley County Humane Society WV. More information about BCHS, including more info about its Community Yard Sale, scheduled for 8 a.m. on Saturday to fund vaccines for the dogs, is available on Facebook, as well.
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