Rent-A-Dog at the Pike Co. Animal Shelter

Hello again!

Today’s post will not be focusing on a specific place in Troy, Alabama, instead it will explore an activity that just recently became available to the Troy community.

The Pike County Animal Shelter, Troy’s local shelter for cats, dogs and other pets, has recently started a program called “Rent A Dog.”

How it works is very simple: anyone interested in taking a shelter dog out for the day can simply swing by the Animal Shelter. Here, they can pick out a dog that they are interested in spending time with. They can take this dog anywhere that is friendly to pets in Troy, including Petsense, the park, etc. When they are done, they simply bring the dog back to the shelter!

 

(Pictured: Hope is a shelter dog who is currently looking for a forever home, but in the meantime would love to spend a day playing with someone interested in renting a dog!)

There are many benefits to the shelter having this program. The dogs in their shelter spend much of their time in cages, with perhaps only one short walk to stretch their legs a day. With the rent a dog program, the shelter volunteers’ workload is made lighter, as they do not have to worry about walking as many dogs.

Additionally, the dogs get valuable socialization time not only with many different people, but also get a change of scenery by getting to explore different environments. This makes the dogs easier to adopt out to a greater variety of home structures.

However, there are also benefits to people wanting to rent shelter dogs out for a day. If a person or family is considering bringing a pet into their home permanently, spending some one-on-one time with a dog for a whole day gives them a feel for what the dog is like and whether it is right for them.

Another benefit is that people, especially students, who are animal lovers but may not have the means to own one can still go play with a dog—which can be a nice break from the stress of classes and studying!

Rent a Pet is a collaboration of resources by people and animal shelters that benefits both parties in the end!

If you are interested in Renting a dog out for the day, the Pike County Animal Shelter is located on 904 Henderson Highway in Troy, AL. Their hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.

Happy Travels!