St. Pete pet shelter will let you take dogs out on day trips

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (FOX 13) - A new program is launching for dog lovers of all kinds. 

The “Doggy Day Out” program by “Friends of Strays” begins Friday and allows members of the Bay Area community take shelter dogs on field trips. 

“Anyone can come to the shelter during our open hours and take one of our dogs out on a field trip,” explained Holly Clare, communications manager of Friends of Strays. “We’re in St. Petersburg, and it’s a super dog-friendly community. We thought the community could get behind it. The dog-friendly businesses can get behind it, and most importantly our shelter dogs can really benefit from it.”

You’re not committing to an adoption through the program. You are just coming by to take a dog outside the shelter for a while. Clare said the benefit could be for people who love dogs but there are other factors preventing them from owning one, such as living in an apartment that prohibits dog residents. 

However, if you take a dog out for a day, and end up loving it, you could adopt. 

“That’s the goal,” Clare said. “Even if it’s not you, you never know who you might meet on your adventure. All the dogs will go out with business cards. So, if they happen to meet someone along the way [you] can hand them a business card. It just gets our dog some great exposure as well.”

LINK: If interested in the Doggy Day Out program, head over to the Friends of Strays website to apply.