DAVENPORT, Iowa — The Humane Society of Scott County is starting a new dog foster program called "Santa's Sleepover."
"We've done similar things in the past where we've invited people to foster, say, for Thanksgiving or for other holidays, but this is our first time doing it for Christmas," Humane Society for Scott County Development and Communications Coordinator Celina Rippel said. "So the whole idea is for people to have a short-term foster; bring a dog home for the holidays."
They will start the foster program on Dec. 19 and, according to Rippel, foster parents will be given everything necessary to take care of the dog like food, bedding and toys.
The humane society hopes that the foster eventually leads into an adoption. But even if becoming a pet owner isn't possible Rippel says allowing the dogs to experience life outside of the shelter's cages and inside of a loving home is what's important this holiday season.
"When they're here at the shelter, they don't get a ton of time outside of their kennels. And that can be really hard for animals. We've seen it before, where even just a few days outside of the shelter can completely change their personality and attitude."
She says the staff knows when dogs are sad and because they live in metal cages, they're usually not the happiest they could be.
"We can tell a dog is sad, they shut down in their kennel then kind of lay in the back... they're not greeting people as much.
But even then, dogs aren't the only ones who benefit from this new program.
"Holidays can be a really exciting time for some people," Rippel said. "But it can also be a stressful and lonely time for people as well."
That's something that Caring Canine volunteers at UnityPoint Health-Trinity know well.
The pet therapy program is offered at three of the area hospital's campuses. Volunteers come in with one- or several- of its 40 canines and visit patients.
"Chase will just come and set his hand or set his head there next to their hand," Caring Canine volunteer Kelley Timmerman said. "And it's just more of a calming, you know, sense for them."
Chase is a four-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, which Timmerman says is a very active breed, making him a rare breed to be a therapy dog. But nevertheless, one that haws helped numerous patients' mental health.
"They do bring somewhat of a calming experience with the patients."
If you would like to know more about fostering a dog this holiday season with the Humane Society of Scott County, you can click/tap here.
If you would like to volunteer with UnityPoint Health- Trinity's Caring Canine program, you can click/tap here.
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