Need New Year’s plans? How about hosting an NC shelter dog sleepover?
Some people ring in the New Year with champagne.
Others ring it in with wild parties.
But what about ringing in 2023 with puppies?
This weekend, Saving Grace Animals for Adoption opens opportunities for interested people to invite dogs and puppies into their homes for a New Year’s sleepover.
Hosts can pick up the pups from the organization’s headquarters at 13400 Old Creedmoor Road in Wake Forest on Friday, Dec. 30, and return them on Monday or Tuesday, Jan. 2-3.
The extended sleepover program is one of many strategies that Saving Grace offers to increase the adoptions of available dogs and help the animals become more social, according to their website.
The program began in 2017 and has grown Into being offered every weekend now, according to Molly Goldston, the founder of Saving Grace.
“We have extended sleepovers on holidays and in inclement weather,” Goldston said. “This is very helpful as we are often shortest on volunteers on holidays and when weather is hard to navigate to drive and cold conditions.”
Most weekends, Saving Grace has up to 50 sleepover hosts. The organization normally has 100 to 150 dogs on site and up to 300 dogs In foster care, Goldston says. That includes moms with puppies, dogs not available for adoption and ones dealing with medical conditions.
“This program has increased awareness and adoption,” she said. “Adoption isn’t always necessarily from the person who hosts for the sleepover but neighbors and people they meet out and about.”
Saving Grace has struggled this year trying to care for more animals, like many other animal shelters, Goldston said.
“We are always at capacity and depend on fosters and adopters to help save these dogs for adoption,” she said.
The sleepover program reduces stress for dogs, helps them get exercise and learn house manners, and exposes them to the community, Goldston said. It also gives the dogs some extra love and attention.
READ MORE: “As Triangle shelters fill up, here’s how to keep dogs and cats off the track to euthanasia”
How to host a sleepover
Interested hosts must complete an online application and must live within an hour of Saving Grace’s location in case they need to return the dogs for emergencies or medical attention.
Goldston said the organization checks to ensure hosts have all the necessary equipment and a suitable environment for the dogs.
“We get information like what they’re going to want to do with the dogs, what they have at home whether it’s kids, cats or other dogs,” she said.
Hosts can’t choose which dog they want to host for the weekend but dogs are selected based on what would be a good choice for the hosts and their situations.
“The real purpose is to be able to get the dogs in a home for a couple of days,” Goldston said. “At pretty much any shelter, the dogs don’t really get as much one-on-one as they should.”
“This also helps us to get more Information about the dog, so when people take them for the weekend they usually do pictures or a write-up about their weekend,” she continued. “So we can add that to their profile to get the dogs adopted.”
The dogs at Saving Grace have all been vaccinated. Some are being treated with antibiotics for kennel cough and other respiratory Infections common to living in a shelter environment, the organization said.
Those illnesses can be contagious, Goldston said. Hosts may be asked to treat dogs who need it during the sleepover.
“We very strongly recommend all homes fostering/hosting a shelter pet have all resident pets up to date on vaccinations and contact your vet for specific questions about your own dogs. We want to ensure the well-being and health of all animals including residents in foster homes. For this reason, we also do not allow host dogs to visit dog parks,” the organization states.
Other recommendations for hosting a dog sleepover include:
- Have a crate, leash and food in the home (Saving Grace also can provide these.)
- Dogs can be given baths as long as they have not had surgery within the last 10 days
- Host dogs cannot be taken out of the area
“The goals of the program are to give dogs a break from the hustle and bustle of the farm, receive more individualized attention and gain community awareness.,” the organization states.
READ MORE: “5 ways you can help free space and save lives at an animal shelter”
Animal shelters overwhelmed
Triangle area animal shelters have been overwhelmed this year with dogs, cats and other animals in need of homes.
Earlier this month, the Wake County Animal Shelter had 148 dogs it needed to find permanent homes for before the organization said it might have to resort to euthanasia for space reasons for the first time in six years. The shelter has worked to refrain from killing adoptable animals to make room for others.
Saving Grace, created in 2004, does not take stray animals and partners with rural shelters across the state where euthanasia rates are high to find acceptable homes for animals.
For more Information about Saving Grace’s extended sleepover program go to savinggracenc.org/host-a-dog/.
This story was originally published December 28, 2022 at 1:46 PM.