Sweet Dreams
by Jill Duff-Hoppes
Kids aren’t the only ones who love sleepovers. So do shelter dogs.
Just ask the folks at Seminole County Animal Services, which recently launched an initiative called the Doggy Sleepover Program. It allows Seminole County residents to bring a shelter pup home for an overnight (or longer) stay, giving the dog a break from the busy and often stressful environment of the shelter. The mini vacation is an opportunity for the dogs to chill out, decompress, and reveal their true personalities in a home setting.
The short-term foster program also gives families an opportunity to see how their canine guest fits into their household before making the commitment to adopt. Hosts are encouraged to complete a report card detailing the dog’s behavior, routines, and personality traits. This valuable feedback helps shelter team members make more successful adoption matches for the dogs.
Sleepover stays range from overnight to a full week, and there is no out-of-pocket cost for the host. Animal Services provides all the supplies, including food, a leash, bedding, toys, and medications if needed.
In the two-plus months since the Doggy Sleepover Program debuted, 12 pups have participated and nine of them have been adopted by their forever families. If a family does choose to adopt the sleepover pup they’ve been fostering, there is no adoption fee, and they get to keep the supplies that were provided.
Alan Harris, director of Seminole County’s Office of Emergency Management, pitched the sleepover initiative after learning about a similar program in another state. Animal Services is one of four divisions that Alan oversees.
“I love this new program,” he says. “Anything we can do to get the animals into loving homes is always a win.”
Home Sleep Home
Among those who jumped at the chance to be part of the program are Gretchen Voit of Lake Mary and Jenn Bonaskiewich of Altamonte Springs, who are both volunteers with Animal Services.
Jenn brought Pixie (formerly known as Whiskey) home for a sleepover for the long Memorial Day weekend. That gave Jenn and her husband ample time to get to know their four-legged visitor. Jenn introduced Pixie, a two-year-old German shorthaired pointer mix, to Arby, the couple’s 10-year-old deaf pit bull. She also introduced Pixie to her horse and took the pup running and swimming.
Happily, everyone hit it off, so Jenn moved her houseguest in permanently by adopting her.
“She’s just a great dog,” says Jenn. “We really got lucky with her. This is our fourth Animal Services dog, and they’ve all been amazing.”
Like Jenn, Gretchen brought a pup home for a sleepover for the Memorial Day weekend and ended up adopting him. That pooch is Tanner, a four-and-a-half-year-old Catahoula leopard who tail-wagged his way into the hearts of Gretchen’s family.
“Everyone fell in love with him, and I couldn’t imagine taking him back,” says Gretchen. “He is such a sweet boy.”
For Gretchen, the sleepover was a no-pressure way to be sure Tanner would gel with her family before taking the bigger step of adoption. She encourages other dog lovers to give the program a try.
“If it doesn’t work out, you’re out nothing,” she says. “But if you bring that baby home and fall in love, then you can keep them forever. It’s perfect.”
To learn more about the Doggy Sleepover Program, call Seminole County Animal Services at 407-665-5201 or email SCAS@seminolecountyfl.gov.