Anderson Humane in South Elgin has a new program called Doggie Day Out that enables people to sign up as temporary fosters and take a shelter dog out for a day. Erin Linton, who works at the shelter, picked up Willie for the day just to get him out of the chaos of the kennel and was rewarded with a sloppy kiss at her Naperville home. (Rick West | Staff Photographer)
Hey, check it out. A new program at Anderson Humane allows you to borrow a dog for the day.
It’s sort of like a library, only the books have fur and like to lick you.
The South Elgin shelter started its Doggie Day Out program on March 1. While the program isn’t unique, it is the only one in the area, according to Dean Daubert, Anderson’s chief operations officer.
“It’s a way to get our animals out for some extra enrichment and time with people and socialization,” he said, “but also a great way to, hopefully, get them adopted.”
Daubert said it’s a pretty simple program. People only need to go through a one-time process similar to what they use for those interested in fostering a dog.
After watching a 15- to 20-minute video and filling out an online form, you let the shelter know you’re coming. They’ll have a dog, a leash and poop bags ready to go. The leash has a QR code that links to Anderson’s adoption page.
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