Santa Rosa County Animal Services Relaunches Doggy Day Out Program

Santa Rosa County Animal Services is relaunching the Doggy Day Out program on Wed., July 1, to pair members of the community with shelter dogs for daytime field trips. Outings can last from one hour to all day and can include a hike, puppuccino from a local coffee shop, or even lunch at a pet-friendly restaurant.

The Doggy Day Out Program was created to help reduce kennel stress and provide dogs with enrichment and increased visibility. Since the program began last year, 78 dogs have participated in the program and all have been adopted.

"It is a feel-good program all the way around," said Jennifer Arn, kennel tech and lead liaison for the animal shelter's foster program. "It helps to reduce the stress-related behavioral deterioration we often see at the shelter and offers the community an opportunity to be involved in socializing our dogs which has a huge impact on their success of getting adopted."

Participants are provided with everything they need for a successful field trip and given a report card to fill out on the pup. Field trips can be scheduled during shelter hours - Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. To participate in the Doggy Day Out program, fill out the online application or contact the shelter at (850) 983-4680 at least 48 hours in advance. When you arrive for your scheduled Doggy Day Out, call the shelter and staff will bring the dog to your car.

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