Mutual Rescue’s Doggy Day Out is a short-term foster program where the public can take adoptable dogs out from their local shelter.
A Doggy Day Out can include a hike, a trip to the beach or lake, a car ride for a pup cup, or even a sleepover! These brief field trips help shelter dogs manage kennel stress, burn off energy, and get more exposure to potential adopters.
This nationwide program is the perfect way to make a large impact at a low commitment for shelter animals.
Curious about starting a day fostering program? Everything you need is in our free, customizable toolkit. Downloading this toolkit does not obligate you to start a program, but you will have plenty of information and resources if you decide to do so!
Maddie’s American Pets Alive! Director Kristen Auerbach was working at Fairfax County Animal Shelter in Virginia a few years ago when she read an article about short-term and day fostering. In 2014, she implemented a larger version of the program at that shelter. It was a massive success and Auerbach began presenting it at conferences.
Other programs sprouted up, including wildly popular ones at Fredericksburg SPCA and Louisville Metro Animal Services. Mutual Rescue consulted with a diverse group of shelters with robust programs to create resources and support that would allow any shelter, regardless of size or area, to implement this program. Our toolkit contains all the manuals and forms a shelter needs to start its own program.
