7 NC shelters where you can take a dog on a day trip

Discover seven North Carolina animal shelters offering “doggy day out” programs where you can take shelter dogs on field trips and help them find homes.

Beginning sometime in 2022, animal shelters across the country began to see a rise in pets being abandoned by their owners. Many of these unfortunate animals had been adopted as quarantine pals during the pandemic, only for their new owners to be unable to handle the responsibility of pet ownership. 

“The animal shelter crisis is mirroring the national housing crisis—and we’re seeing it across the country,” said Wake County Commissioner Vickie Adamson in a December 2023 press release from the Wake County Animal Center. 

The issue is widespread throughout North Carolina, affecting densely populated areas like Mecklenburg County as well as rural areas like Vance County.

The entire situation can feel overwhelming, and for people without the capacity to take on any new pets, it can seem as if there’s nothing to be done. That’s not the case. 

More and more shelters are offering shelter skip days that allow dog lovers to take a shelter dog on a field trip for a day to help relieve some pressure for staff and get the dog out into the fresh air to stretch their legs. 

Also known as a doggy day out or doggy daycations, these offerings really do make a difference, even if they don’t fix the larger issue facing shelters everywhere. And who knows—you just might make a new best friend in the process.

Be sure to post on social media whenever you participate in one of these programs. It’s not about patting yourself on the back; it’s about advertising that your friend is available for adoption. 

“This program has a double mission,” reads the Forsyth County Animal Services website. “One, to give our fur friends a mental boost, ease their worries, and help them unwind. And two, to get details on these wonderful pups to help them find their new homes. We encourage our program fosters to post about their day out with their companion on social media to spread the word on how they did!” 

We’ve compiled a list of shelters across the state that offer shelter skip days so you can lend a hand during a rough time. 

1. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control

8315 Byrum Drive, Charlotte

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter in west Charlotte has been operating in crisis mode for years now. Charlotte City Council recently approved a rezoning on a vacant lot that will pave the way for the construction of a much-needed new facility, but it will be quite some time before that’s ready. 

In the meantime, you can help ease the pressure by taking part in the agency’s Staycation/Daycation program. While a Staycation can last for five days, a Daycation offers doggos a much-needed break from the stress of the kennel for a whole day or just a few hours—whatever you’re able to handle. 

Just drop in at the shelter between 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on weekends or 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, walk through the kennels to see their adoptable dogs, take a picture of the kennel card of the dog you wish to take, show the staff your picture and your ID, sign a waiver, take your chosen dog anywhere in the county, then bring them back before closing. That’s it—no appointments or applications needed. 

Staff asks that you tag the shelter @animalsclt in any social media posts and use #ACCstaycation so they can follow along and possibly share your staycation fun.

A dog housed at the CMPD Animal Care & Control overflow shelter. (Grant Baldwin/Queen City Nerve)

2. Guilford County Animal Services

980 Guilford College Road, Greensboro

Unlike the Charlotte-Mecklenburg program, the folks at Guilford County Animal Services (GCAS) will match you with your playmate for their Dog’s Day Out. Most pooches who embark on a Dog’s Day Out are long-stay residents or ones who staff have seen suffering from kennel blues. Their team of dog-loving staff and volunteers will pair you up with a furry friend that suits your handling style. 

It’s not a drop-by type of program, either. You’ll need to fill out this application, and within a few days, GCAS will email you a link to your orientation. In the meantime, they ask that you read this Dog’s Day Out Handout to familiarize yourself with the program’s guidelines. 

3. Pitt County Animal Services

4550 County Home Road, Greenville

Trips through the Doggy Day Out program at Pitt County Animal Services (PCAS) can last anywhere from a few hours to an entire day, with staff recommending activities like hiking, strolling through a park, enjoying a sleepover at home, or even grabbing lunch at a pet-friendly restaurant. 

In fact, the PCAS team has compiled a whole list of pup-friendly locations where you can take your new friend (it was created in 2022, so check ahead to ensure the venue is still there). 

PCAS offers a couple of other volunteer opportunities for dog lovers with limited time, including the Mutt Strutters Program, which gives people the chance to walk shelter dogs in outdoor spaces like Alice P. Keene Park or the Farmer’s Market. For kids aged 6-15, Shelter Buddies is a free reading program that incorporates volunteerism with reading literacy to increase animal socialization efforts for shelter dogs up for adoption. 

4. Orange County Animal Services

1601 Eubanks Road, Chapel Hill

On the Orange County Animal Services’ Dog Day Out website, there’s a list of eight great walking paths where you can take your temporary (maybe) friend, though they remind you that taking the dog to a dog park is a no-no for just about any shelter skip day. 

And if walking ain’t your thing, you can always take them to Starbucks for a pup cup or just crash out on your couch away from all the noise of the shelter. 

They only ask that you share any photos you might have taken during your adventure and then fill out a release form so the agency can post them on social media or include them in pet listings online.

5. Burlington Animal Services

221 Stone Quarry Road, Burlington

The city of Burlington has expanded its Dog Day Out Adventure into a broader challenge called Paws Across Alamance, with three different challenge options. For two of the options, Puppy Dog Stroll and the Hound Dog Haul, Dog Day Out participants are asked to visit one of the 12 featured parks in each challenge. 

You check each park off on your “pawsport,” and once one challenge is completed, you can try for the second one! Each time you visit a park in the pawsport, take a photo of your pup partner in front of the park’s sign or in front of a landmark in the park. 

The third challenge, dubbed the Loyal Adventurer Challenge, asks participants to take on 18 Dog Day Out Adventures in 12 months, filling out a Dog Day Out Report Card and submitting a photo for each one. Anyone who completes one of the challenges is up for some sweet Dog Day Out merch: a $35 hoodie. 

6. Forsyth Humane Society of North Carolina

4881 Country Club Road, Winston-Salem

Potential participants in Forsyth Humane Society’s Dog Day Out program are asked to first complete a foster application, then choose a suitable date and time from the calendar when you’d like to collect your new four-legged friend for their day out. 

The appointment calendar will further inquire about your preferred activities and the specific type of dog you’re hoping to spend the day with so the Forsyth HS team can pair you with a wonderful canine companion. 

BONUS: Download the WoofTrax app, choose Forsyth Humane Society as your nonprofit, turn on the app when you go out for walks or hikes, and you’ll be earning money for the shelter at no cost to yourself. 

7. Paws4Ever

6311 Nicks Road, Mebane

Paws4ever is an animal welfare organization offering a range of services to support pets and people in our community throughout their lifetimes. Located just between the Triangle and the Triad, the organization’s adoption center rescues cats and dogs from local county shelters and provides them with quality care for as long as it takes to find their forever homes.

To participate in the org’s Doggie Day Out, Paws4Ever asks that you send an inquiry email to [email protected] and give 72 hours for them to make accommodations. The email should include the dates you’re interested in taking a dog out, the time you hope to pick them up and drop them off, limitations you’d like them to know about (size, level of pulling on the leash, etc.), and locations you’d like to take the dog to. 

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.