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Dog's Day Out

Learn more about our program for getting dog’s out in the world!

With the help of Maddie's Fund, Paws Humane Society has relaunched our Dog's Day Out (DDO) program!

The Paws Humane Dog’s Day Out program makes a difference in the lives of companion animals by ensuring they get plenty of exercise, attention, and exposure to environments outside of the shelter, all while putting smiles on the faces of the people who share this experience with them.

DDO is exactly as the name suggests; spending a few hours with a shelter pet outside of Paws Humane Society. This can be anything from grabbing a puppuccino, going on a hike, taking a leisurely stroll at a park, or even a nap at your home. Research by Maddie’s Fund found that dogs on field trips were happier, more relaxed, more playful and calmer than dogs in the shelter. Dogs on field trips showed less nervousness, anxiousness, insecurity, barking, shaking/trembling and repetitive behaviors such as jumping. Both you and the dog can enjoy a day of companionship combined with an adventure, a win-win situation for all!

How It Works

If you want to get involved in Dog’s Day Out you must be at least 18 years old and able to provide a picture ID. You can come down to Paws during our business hours, fill out a quick application, sign a waiver and pick out your adventure partner for the day. Dogs may enjoy a day out anytime that we are open, but we do ask that you bring them back no less than 30 minutes before we close. We will provide you with a goodie bag that will take care of your doggy pal’s creature comforts and a list of suggested places to go and things to do. While children are welcome, we do ask you leave your personal pets at home so our dogs can get the one on one attention they crave. Sounds like the perfect day out, right? We think our dogs will agree as they emBARK on their adventures!

Goals of DDO

The goals of Dogs Day Out are simple:

  • To engage with the community in a fun, new way
  • To increase adoptions of medium and large dogs due to increased information on the dogs’ behavior outside the shelter and more marketing material
  • To increase safety within the building by keeping dogs’ stress levels down
  • To increase enrichment for our organization’s dogs

For more information or questions regarding the Dog’s Day Out program, please email adoptions@pawshumane.org.