Julie, a four-year-old lab/retriever mix, was severely stressed after being relocated to NEAS from one of our South Carolina coalition partners. Just about every new sight, sound, and smell evoked an anxious reaction. We even had to cover Julie’s kennel with sheets so she wouldn’t see the other dogs who walked past. Needless to say, this behavior was hurting her chances at finding an adopter.
Julie was a prime candidate for off-site field trips. Led by trained volunteers, field trips give dogs a break from shelter stresses, improve canine wellness, and enable them to express normal behaviors – sniffing and exploring things as they would in a home. Although relatively new in the sheltering world, field trips have been found to help increase adoption success and allow dogs to build confidence and bonds with people.
On field trips, Julie was a completely different dog – friendly, curious, and much more relaxed! And when a potential adopter joined on one of the trips, seeing Julie joyfully interact with the outside world made the decision easy.
After spending 191 days in our shelter, Julie is now happy in her forever home.