Seeking a date for Thanksgiving gatherings? Consider Warrick Humane Society’s spin on Friendsgiving.
Started in 2019, the animal rescue and shelter’s Friendsgiving gives around 30 dogs awaiting adoption a chance to socialize and enjoy the holidays at home like family pets. Starting the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and ending the Sunday after, fosters can take home an eligible dog — sorry, no puppies or cats — and spoil it with toys, treats, playtime, car trips around town, and more.
“It’s much better than seeing the same four kennel walls every day,” says McKenzie Puckett, WHS’ communications coordinator. “Families and our dogs being so excited for each other’s company, even if for a few nights, is positively heartwarming.”
While Friendsgiving was designed to drive fosters and adoptions — last year, six Friendsgiving dogs found their forever homes, and participants get 25 percent off adoption fees if they fall in love with their new friend — Puckett says staff members are “also perfectly happy for them to get a short break from the shelter. … Even when dogs come back from their foster home and we are sad that they are back with us, we are still happy that they had a break, and they tend to show improved behavior when they return.”
Puckett says Friendsgiving also gives WHS the opportunity to learn more about the pups in its care. “Sometimes, a dog that we didn’t know was house trained will come back with an A+ report card from their foster, which helps them get adopted quicker,” she says. “The same goes for dogs who have never lived in a home — this gives them the opportunity to experience a home and be prepared to better adjust with their furever family.”
Can’t commit to a houseguest the full weekend? Link up with a pup for a few hours with Vanderburgh Humane Society’s Mutt’s Morning Out. Regardless of the time commitment, Puckett says shelter animals — and their human friends, too — enjoy each other’s company.
“Our Friendsgiving fosters almost always enjoy their experience,” she says. “Who doesn’t feel good after doing such a good deed for a dog in need?”
