Volunteers and staff at the Cochrane and Area Humane Society may have found the key to getting dogs adopted a little faster. Last spring, volunteers Christine Newman and Rashelle Elburg decided to take one of the shelter's long-term resident dogs, Beau, out kayaking. They posted a photo of the dog's sunny expedition on social media and within days she was adopted. "When they see these animals and they're out kayaking and paddle boarding they see them in a different light, it draws people in," said Elburg. "It showcases the animals in a different way." Leading up to the short excursion, both Newman and Elburg participated in a number of programs at the shelter to familiarize themselves with the dogs and the procedures surrounding their care. "We kind of immersed ourselves in everything. We went to their enrichment program, Play for Life, to get to know the dogs and their personalities. I think once the staff thought we were capable, we were allowed to take out some dogs paddle boarding and kayaking," Newman said. After their experiment with kayaking, they decided to test it out on a few other dogs over the winter. Maui, a German Shepherd, was taken snowshoeing in the Kananaskis mountains. "Again, she was adopted right away," Newman said. "Then we took Lola, a younger husky, and again she was adopted right away." The first official launch of what they've dubbed Hiking with Hounds was this spring. The volunteers now bring up to six dogs and eight or more volunteers to handle the dogs every second Monday. "It's been hugely successful. The odd time we run into (other hikers) they ask questions," Newman said. "We'll move off the trail if we do see people coming. And we have two extra people at least who don't have dogs and their duties are to inform the public we're coming, to take pictures, and clean up after the dogs." Karla Bennett, volunteer manager with the Humane Society, said the society has held six volunteer-led hikes, all of which were paid for by volunteers including lunch for themselves and the dogs and gas. "It was a quick hike, it was an interesting hike because we have some interesting dogs," Bennett said. The volunteers also made T-shirts to identify themselves to the public and put up signs to warn other hikers. "We re-did this sign here that also lets people know we're in the area so if they've got their dogs around they can know there could be a group of large dogs coming through," Bennett said. Taking the dogs on hikes gives prospective adoptive families the opportunity to see the animals in a real life setting where owners can imagine what it would be like to have the dog. "We have all of these dogs that, for whatever reason, tend to sit here. A lot of times, they're high-energy dogs, or dogs that maybe don't present that well in the shelter. A lot of times, they're really smart and this environment doesn't tend to show the best of them," Bennett said. "But they're awesome dogs and I think what this program does is gives them a break from the shelter." "Our focus primarily for the dogs we select are long-term residents and dogs that are high-energy and are having more trouble getting adopted. Not only to market them a bit better but also to give them a break," Bennett said. "And then we also have the opportunity to get beautiful pictures of them in a natural environment rather than the shelter environment." For more information about the dogs available for adoption, visit www.cochranehumane.ca/adopt/dogs/.
