Okay, this has to be one of the coolest initiatives we’ve seen recently for our local rescue animals. If you’re someone who loves dogs but can’t adopt one, this is right up your alley. Many rental properties here in Las Vegas don’t allow pets, and other people just can’t afford an adoption. Or they work too much to give a dog proper care during the day. Whatever the reason, there’s someone amazing you can do for yourself, and a local rescue dog, if you’re in this boat.
Thanks to a new “foster field trip” program through the Animal Foundation, you can borrow a dog for an hour, several hours, or the whole day. Grab a dog for your daily run. Going hiking at Red Rock? Take a pup with you. There are benefits for both the animal and the person borrowing. For the human, there’s the bonding time with an animal when you can’t have one of your own. There’s also safety in running or hiking with a dog at your side. And of course, you get the warm feeling of knowing you’re doing a good deed for an animal in need.
For the pup, the benefits are immensely abundant and important. Dogs in a caged environment get sad. They become a different version of themselves. Some even act out of fear. This doesn’t get the dog adopted when it’s time to choose. When these animals get to spend some time outside, at a park or in a car with a human, their demeanor changes. They’re happier and less stressed out.
The foster coordinator at the Animal Foundation, Alec Petronsky, spoke with the RJ recently. He said that the dogs who’ve gone out on these field trips get adopted sooner (reviewjournal). The dogs show so much excitement when someone comes to walk them. It’s just heartwarming. And the foundation allows dogs to be “borrowed” for up to two weeks.
Contact the Animal Foundation at (702) 955-5934, or stop by 655 N. Mojave Road in Las Vegas to borrow a dog today. Freedom Park is right next door to the foundation, so going for a quick run or park outing on your lunch break or after work would be a breeze. –Wendy Rush
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