WHITESTOWN — Volunteers run the Humane Society for Boone County, and while they are constantly working with the dogs in the shelter’s care, a new program aims to get Boone County visitors to help.
Shelter dogs often only get out when volunteers take them. But a new program at the Humane Society for Boone County aims to get tourists visiting the area to take a dog for a day.
"We realized that more than 50% of our visitors here in Boone County are coming in and participating in outdoor activity,” Allyson Gutwein, the CEO of Discover Boone County, said.
That’s why Discover Boone County is partnering with the Humane Society for Boone County for the Here to Home program.
"The dogs in our shelter will have the opportunity to go out with a community member who might want to take them out for an outing,” Kristen Pulice, the executive director for the Humane Society for Boone County, said. "Hopefully, we get some visitors to Boone County that can come to our shelter to pick a day to spend a day with a dog. "
After a visitor takes a dog on an outing, they provide feedback on the dog’s temperament and what activities they did and did not like. It is information that can make them more adoptable.
"We can learn a little bit more about their personalities, and then we can share that information on our website and on our adopt page, and we learn a little bit more about the dog, and it becomes a better fit for the adopter, so they know what they are looking for,” Pulice said.
The CEO of Discover Boone County says she first saw a similar program in Hawaii and hopes this could lead to more dogs getting adopted.
"We have a lot of amenities here that are just going to make it easy for someone to take a dog out for a day or potentially adopt a dog,” Gutwein said.
The Humane Society for Boone County says studies show dogs in similar programs in other states are five times more likely to be adopted.
"Any time that we can give visitors another reason to stay here for a little longer, it's good for everyone,” Gutwein said.
There will be a fee to take the dog out for a day, but all the money will go back to caring for the dogs and animals in the shelter. The program is expected to kick off this spring. The shelter is considering making the fee around $75
To learn more about the shelter, click here. Also, they have a fundraiser, which will also help support the volunteers and dogs in Boone County. Details are below.
