1. Brighten a Shelter Dog's Day: Spending time outside the shelter allows our dogs to relax, explore new environments, and enjoy much-needed one-on-one attention.

2. Help Them Find Their Forever Home: Outings provide valuable insights into each dog’s personality, which we can share with potential adopters. Plus, your photos and stories from your adventure can help showcase them on social media!

3. Enjoy a Stress-Free Companion: Whether you’re looking for an exercise buddy, a cuddle partner, or a social icebreaker, we’ll help you match with the perfect dog for your day.

• Must be 18 years or older.

• Participants under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

• You’ll need a valid photo ID.

• Be ready to provide a loving and safe environment for the dog during your outing.

Mutual Rescue Doggy Day Out reports that In the hundreds or thousands of day foster trips that had already taken place across the country, no one had ever had anything like this happen. "In over a year, we have not had a single incident. Plenty of dogs had a great time and were adopted, though!" says Caitlin Daly the Executive Director of Fredericksburg SPCA in Virginia.  By using quick, basic safety protocols you can almost eliminate the threat of anything happening to your dogs.

It's a common misconception that returning to the shelter after a day out will result in the dogs becoming depressed or disheartened. A year long study by Maddie's Fund conducted at Louisville Metro Animal Control show decreases in stress behaviors in dogs returning from field trips and day outings. 

Fredericksburg SPCA also tracks behavior in dogs that participate in the program. "We have been specifically tracking program participants, and can draw direct correlation between less stress, less destructive behaviors, and decreased length of stay among those who go out the most often" says Daly.

Southern Pines Animal Shelter in Mississippi also saw a decrease in stress related behaviors in participating dogs. "We have yet to see a dog come back to the shelter and decline further" says Carrie Parris, the Programs Supervisor there. 

Laura Birdsall, Animal Care Manager at Humane Society Silicon Valley has seen the opposite effect of this commonly held misconception as well. "The overall stress behaviors seen from dogs participating in the program decreased dramatically, even after just one or two outings. Dogs who had previously been destructive in their room, had diarrhea, or were barking at the door are now resting and seem much more relaxed in their kennels."

Not only does the program help improve quality of life for dogs in the shelter, it also helps make them more adoptable. "The animals are learning valuable skills that make them more adoptable like loading into cars, comfortability with riding and leashes, and their ability to focus and learn basic commands improves with increased exposure to sights, sounds, and places," says Parris.

While the program is designed to give dogs an outlet from the stress of the shelter, not every dog is a great candidate for a Doggy Day Out. 

Good Doggy Day Out candidates are:

• High energy but manageable. 

• Not getting enough exercise in shelter. 

• Not mouthy or high arousal. 

• Have no history of dog or people aggression. 

• Might be dog reactive but can be easily refocused with treats or attention. 

• Overlooked or older dogs with no behavior issues that need some marketing help. 

• A history of kennel stress (barking, drooling or exit searching) without aggression.

Some things that might keep dogs from being good candidates:

• Excessively mouthy.

• A history of any sort of aggression. 

• Dog or people reactive and difficult to refocus.