What if you could get your exercise, meet with friends and improve your daily outlook all at one time? At the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, our shelter dogs do that every weekend! With our Fit with Fido program, adoptable dogs get out of their kennels and onto nearby trails for group walks and runs with our volunteers.
In addition to getting in an extra-long walk or having the opportunity to get their run on, this program helps keep smiles on pups’ faces throughout the week. Some dogs become stressed in a shelter environment and can respond by becoming over-excited or even shutting down. “Our volunteers do so much for our dogs by taking them on walks, letting them zoom around the yard and spending time with them in their kennels, but these walks or runs are special because they bring something novel to a dog’s day,” says Maddie Bernstein, the AWLA’s Community Programs Coordinator. “By spending time with other dogs, meeting new people and sniffing out new trails that they don’t visit during the week, they have time to de-stress and are calmer and happier when they return to their kennel.”
AWLA volunteers enjoy the opportunity to spend extra time with the dogs as well. For volunteer Rebecca, having a dog waiting for her at the shelter helps get her out and run, but she says, “More so, I know how important it is to get the pup’s energy out. This helps them be a bit more calm in the kennel for when they have visitors.”
Fit with Fido walks are also an opportunity for dogs and volunteers to socialize and meet new people. Debbie, a walking volunteer, joined the program to meet other AWLA volunteers and noticed her canine walking companion felt the same. “On one Sunday morning I had Benji, who is a ‘retired’ hunting dog. He really enjoyed being out with other dogs, and it warmed my heart seeing how much he enjoyed being in a ‘pack.’” For dogs who enjoy the company of their fellow canines, these walks give them just that.
The Fit with Fido program is currently open to AWLA volunteers who have completed training to walk shelter dogs, but Maddie hopes the program will continue to grow. “In the future, it would be great to see shelter dogs go out on field trips with our volunteers and members of the public, whether that’s to Roosevelt Island or some of the nearby hikes. These excursions do so much for the dogs and are a great way for them to meet potential adopters who might not think to stop by a shelter.”
For now, if you see dogs with “Adopt Me” vests walking or running the paths around the shelter, you’ll know they are keeping fit while they wait to find their future family, which they might just find while out on a walk.
Click HERE to learn more about volunteering at the AWLA.
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