WILLIAMSBURG — There is a special kind of emptiness shared by dog lovers who do not own a dog. While there are plenty of legitimate reasons not to be able to have a dog, whether it is financial, busy work schedule or whatever else, the pup-sized hole in your life never gets smaller.
Do not worry, the Heritage Humane Society (HHS) in Williamsburg understands and they have a solution that may benefit both you and some very lucky pups, It is an initiative called: Fido Field Trips.
The purpose of the Fido Field Trips program is to give dogs a chance to get out on the town for a few hours. Wearing a bright orange vest that says, “Adopt Me,” the dog gets some exercise and a few extra pets they would not get sitting in a kennel. Also, this program may increase their chances of finding a “fur”ever home.
“We initially started this in 2019 and we were trying to figure out a way to find more enrichment for our dogs,” Jennifer Lafoutain, marketing events & humane education manager for HHS, said. “Some people love the idea of fostering, but they just don’t have the ability to commit to having an animal in their house. So Fido Field Trips are a great in between.”
This summer there is a particular need for Fido Field Trips because the HHS facility is being renovated. Construction is expected to go through September. With all of the added noise, HHS wants to get the dogs out as much as possible during the day.
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There are not a lot of rules on where volunteers can take the dogs. Whether they go walk through Colonial Williamsburg and Merchants Square or go to a quiet nature trail.
Businesses like Tractor Supply Co. and Home Depot have even allowed dogs to accompany their human friends inside. Sometimes volunteers will take the dog home for a few hours.
Anyone who is interested in participating in the program needs to first become a trained volunteer. To signup go to the Heritage Humane Society website or call 757-221-0150 ext:1001 for more information.
“It’s an amazing program and we’ve had quite a few dogs get adopted because of it,” Lafountain said. It’s one of my favorite things we do here at the shelter.”
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