CHARLESTON COUNTY , S.C. (WCIV) — Charleston Animal Society is working to socialize dogs in their shelter by allowing foster friends to take them around town. ‘Paws Around Town’ is another way that the Charleston Animal Society helps their shelter pets get adopted.
“Basically you come, you check out a dog for the day and you spend time with them,” said Kay Hyman, director of community engagement for CAS. “You could take them to lunch or you could just take them home and get on the couch.”
Hyman said no animal wants to be cooped up inside the shelter, they would much rather be at your home, at your feet, or around town getting love from everyone.
READ MORE | “Charleston Animal Society celebrates 150 years of animal welfare achievements“
A field trip with Paws Around Town starts with filling out a foster application, then signing paperwork at Charleston Animal Society. Their adoption specialists pair you with a pet who would benefit from having a day away from the shelter.
Charleston Animal Society will set you up with the pet essentials you need for your play date including treats, water, toys, leashes and car harnesses, and doggie bags. They even provide an approved list of places and spaces you can go.
“They also have little business cards where they can give it to the person if someone’s interested [in adopting],” Hyman explained.
At the end of your field trip you are also asked to fill out a field trip report card. “This lets us know all the good things that they found out, and of course, the things that we need to be able to tell the new anyone who’s interested in adopting,” Hyman shared.
Often times when animals come to CAS, caretakers know very little about how the animal interacts outside of the confines of the shelter. The program aims to not only socialize the dog but allow the public to see the great, adoptable pets in need of loving homes.
“It’s so much fun,” Alex Loiseau, who recently participated in Paws Around Town said. “It’s a great opportunity if you’re not ready to adopt, but you still want to hang out with some great dogs. You get to take them out for the day and just have a lot of fun.”
Loiseau said his day out with Poptart was memorable.
“Poptart and I had such a fun time,” he shared. “Poptart is a great girl, very social, good on a leash. We saw all the sites of Charleston. We went to the pineapple fountain, we went to king street. She’s the queen of King Street.”
Loiseau said Poptart couldn’t have been sweeter as everyone was running up and petting her and saying hello.
If you fall in love, or need extra puppy snuggles, you can even extend your playdate into a sleepover. Get started by filling out an online Foster Application today. Adoptable animals can be found here.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
