Hikes, swims, and sloppy kisses. Field trips for shelter dogs are good for people, too.
| Madison, N.J.
The place where Finlee lives is nice enough: It鈥檚 clean, they feed and care for him well, and there are always people to pet and scratch him.
But it鈥檚 still an animal shelter in New Jersey.
Beyond its walls, however, is a big, wide, wonderful world full of unexplained, unexplored smells, piles of leaves to rummage around in, wet grass to cool the paws ... and squirrels!
Finlee, a one-year-old black mouth cur mix, gets to experience that world semi-regularly thanks to a program at St. Hubert鈥檚 Animal Welfare Center that allows volunteers to take dogs on field trips. They go to places like a park, the beach, a lake for a swim, a pet-friendly hotel for a weekend getaway, or even a trip to Starbucks, which serves cups of whipped cream called 鈥淧uppucinos鈥� to dogs who bring their owners along.
鈥淚t gets dogs out of the shelter for a few hours,鈥� said Sarah Sangree, director of community engagement at St. Hubert鈥檚, which is part of the Humane Rescue Alliance, and takes in and cares for animals from far and wide while seeking permanent homes for them. 鈥淜ennels are a stressful place.鈥�
She said dogs that leave the shelter even for two or three days show noticeable reductions in stress as measured by their cortisol levels. Nationwide, she said, dogs that go on field trips can be five times more likely to be adopted than those that don鈥檛.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hugely beneficial to the dogs,鈥� she said.
The field trip program is particularly popular with people who love dogs but live in places where pets are not allowed.
鈥淧eople can take them on a hike, they can take them for a walk,鈥� Ms. Sangree said. 鈥淪ometimes people take a dog to their home for a few hours and just let the dog relax.鈥�
Trips like this are offered at shelters across the country.
The East Bay SPCA in Oakland, California, will send 350 dogs on day trips this year. Joseph Romero, a manager with the group, said many of the dogs who go on trips end up getting adopted into happier, more stable lives.
鈥淎 lot of them arrive here not having had an amazing home life,鈥� he said.
Many shelters ask volunteers to fill out a brief report card on dogs that go on day trips. It鈥檚 an invaluable source of information on things like how well they do riding in cars, encountering other dogs, or how they behave around children.
鈥淟ike most shelters around the country, we are almost always near or at capacity, and we have a waiting list of pet owners looking to surrender into the shelter,鈥� said Leslie Wall, assistant manager of Everett Animal Services in Washington state.
It started a day trip program called 鈥淲andering Rover鈥� on July 17, and placed four dogs with adoptive families in the first four days it operated.
In addition to parks and trails along the waterfront, Everett鈥檚 day tripping dogs might visit pet-friendly microbreweries and coffee shops. Other times, senior citizens who just want some company take a dog for the afternoon.
St. Hubert鈥檚 in New Jersey has sent 500 dogs on day trips this year, with a goal of 1,000 by year鈥檚 end.
In addition to perking the dogs up, it鈥檚 an ingenious way to interest people in potentially adopting the animals as well. The shelter facilitates 2,300 adoptions a year, and at least half of those animals had at least one day trip with a volunteer, Ms. Sangree said.
Finlee came to St. Hubert鈥檚 from Cara鈥檚 House, a partner shelter in Sorrento, Louisiana. He was adopted on July 1, 2023, but the owner鈥檚 health deteriorated, and Finlee returned to St. Hubert鈥檚 on May 23. He likes chasing tennis balls, is extremely curious, and loves having his back scratched.
Recently, he was checked out for the day by Dennis and Diane Meyer, an animal-loving couple from Warren, New Jersey, who lost their own dog three years ago. They鈥檙e leaning toward adopting one, but are not quite ready yet due to their schedules. Taking a dog out for 2 1/2 hours each week helps fill the void of not having one at home.
They took Finlee out to a park near the shelter, where he sniffed everything within range of his wet, black nose. A droopy plant was of particular interest, but so too, seemingly, was every blade of grass along the walking path through the park.
After a stroll, the Meyers and Finlee rested on a park bench. They gave him water and doggie treats, and he gave them copious kisses.
鈥淲e love doing it,鈥� Mr. Meyer said. 鈥淭his makes you feel good, with all those kisses he just gave me!鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e animal people, and we love helping animals, and they help us,鈥� Ms. Meyer added.
聽This story was reported by The Associated Press.
