We are beyond thrilled to share some exciting news with you! Paws Up! has teamed up with our friends at Dorchester Paws to launch a new initiative - Sponsored Dog Walks & Adventures for Shelter Dogs. This is a special opportunity to give these wonderful pups a break from the shelter environment and a chance to experience the joy of exploring the world outside their kennels.
Why This Matters
Let’s face it, shelter life can be tough on our furry friends. Imagine spending 23 hours a day in a kennel, waiting for a forever home. For many shelter dogs, this is a reality. On average, these dogs stay in shelters for about 30 days before finding their new families, and that's if they're lucky. While shelter staff and volunteers do an incredible job, they can only do so much with the limited time and resources they have.
Many of these dogs have known the comfort of living in a home before and are house trained, but due to unfortunate circumstances, they’ve found themselves in the shelter. The environment can be confusing and stressful, causing them to act out in ways that don’t truly reflect their sweet personalities to potential adopters, and it’s not a true picture of how they’ll be in a loving home.
Our Mission with Dorchester Paws
To help these wonderful dogs, Paws Up! is offering sponsored dog walks and adventures. You can sponsor a 90-minute doggy date for a shelter dog, providing them with much-needed exercise, enrichment, socialization, and more exposure to potential adopters. This will also give the dogs the opportunity to show their true personalities so that we can report back to the shelter and help them find their forever homes!
How Sponsoring a Doggy Date / Dog Walk Works
1. Sponsor a Walk
Sign up here to sponsor a doggy date for a lucky shelter dog. Once you purchase a sponsored walk, we’ll schedule it as soon as possible.
2. Adventure Time!
One of our amazing pet care specialists will visit Dorchester Paws, select one of the more at-risk dogs in need of a break, and take them on a fun adventure to a nearby park, trail, or neighborhood. If it’s too hot or the weather doesn’t cooperate, we’ll explore dog-friendly restaurants and stores instead. Either way, these pups get a chance to stretch their legs, explore new places, and get some much-needed enrichment.
3. Share the Joy
After our adventure, you’ll receive a full report with lots of photos of the fun we had. We’ll also share this report with Dorchester Paws and feature the dog on our social media. We encourage you to share their story too, helping them get more exposure to increase their chances of finding their forever home. You can easily do this by sharing our social media posts!
How You Can Help
Not ready to sponsor a dog walk yet? Here are some other ways you can help the homeless pets that are overcrowding our Charleston area shelters and rescues:
Adopt a Shelter Pet: Go meet your new best friend and give a deserving pet their forever home.
Foster a Shelter Pet: Long-term and short-term fosters are desperately needed. Even an overnight stay can help a pet decompress and get some socialization. This also increases their chances of getting adopted, especially when you give them a glowing report and share on social media!
Doggy Dates: Take a shelter dog out for a special day and be sure to share on your social platforms.
Donate: Supplies, time, or money – every bit helps!
Book services with Paws Up! for your pets: For every visit we complete, we donate a meal to a shelter pet.
Share the Love: Share posts from Paws Up! and the shelters to help these pets find their forever homes.
Why We’re Passionate About Sponsored Dog Walks
Our shelters are extremely overcrowded, and many people in our community want to help but may not be able to adopt or don’t know how else to help. By sponsoring a dog walk, you’re providing a much-needed break for a shelter dog, helping them become more adoptable, and giving them a chance to show their true, wonderful selves.
We’re so proud to partner with Dorchester Paws on this initiative and can’t wait to see the positive impact it will have on the lives of these amazing dogs. Sponsor a doggy date today and help us make a shelter dog smile!
Thank you for your support and for being a part of the Paws Up! family. Together, we can make a big difference in the lives of these wonderful animals.
For more information on how to sponsor a shelter dog walk or to get involved, contact us at Paws Up! or visit our Sponsored Dog Walks Page. Let’s make Charleston the best place for our four-legged friends!
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