How long can I take a dog out of the shelter?
It’s up to you! You can take them for an evening, a weekend, or over a holiday break. This program differs from our Dog Day Out Program, in that you are able to bring the dog home and have them interact with your own pets. Dogs leave the shelter towards the end of the day and come back the next open day for visitation hours. This allows the dog to still be here when potential adopters come in to visit! Because you would be taking a dog home and possibly introducing them to your pets, you would need to fill out our foster application here.
What can I do with a dog on during Bedtime with Benji?
- take naps
- play fetch in a fenced yard
- go for a car ride to get a snack
- go on a hike
- hang out with friends and meet new people
What can I not do with a dog?
- go to a dog park
- interact with pets that are not yours
- give the dog away
- let the dog spend the night with someone else
Why is Bedtime with Benji so important?
Bedtime with Benji gives our pets a much needed “break” from the stress of the shelter. They also help us learn about that pet’s behavior and their likes or dislikes. This helps us find them homes faster.
Won’t they be sad or stressed to go back to the shelter afterward?
We love this article from a study KC Pet Project participated in years ago about the effects that Dog Day Out had on shelter dogs. You can read the article here. “Stress does not increase once dogs return to the shelter. Dr. Gunter says that you can think of a sleepover as a day off from work after a hectic work week. Stress returns once you go back to work, and it returns once the dog goes back to the shelter. But that break allows you to rest and recuperate from stress.”
