HOLIDAYS

responsibilities of dog ownership.

“A dog is a lot of work, especially that first month or two that you have to actually train it to live in your lifestyle,” said Phyllis Stewart of Westerville, who has volunteered at the shelter for about a dozen years and fostered dogs for about five years.

The dogs will benefit from the experience, Stewart said.

Getting the animals into homes helps to re- acclimate them to household life.

“It’s good for the dog to get out and get a different change of scenery, be around a family, get some love and cuddles and peaceful sleep,” she said. “And it’s also good when the dog comes back to know more about it.”

Participating households will be asked to complete a report card of sorts describing the demeanor of different dogs.

That extra information can help lead to quicker adoptions at the shelter.

“We’ll learn all about the dog so that when the next family comes in looking for that type of dog or wants to know how that dog will do in a home, we can give them much more information,” Stewart said.

The host program is one of two initiatives being launched by the shelter over the holidays.

The other will train families wanting to volunteer at the shelter as a group, walking dogs, preparing meals and helping out wherever there’s a need.

There is a waiting list for individuals wanting to serve as shelter volunteers. Providing a way for families or small groups to volunteer together will mean getting more people into the shelter to serve and, ultimately, deepening the pool of “ambassadors” for the facility and for dogs, Dickson said.

“The more people we can teach about alternatives versus bringing their dogs straight to the shelter and we get that word out there, the better it’s going to be for everyone,” she said.

Additional information about either program is available online at dogs. franklincountyohio. gov. Caleb Simmons, a volunteer at the Franklin County Dog Shelter, visits with Almond Joy. Some 70 to 100 dogs at the shelter will be part of the Holiday Sleepover program, in which they will go to people’s homes for stays over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays.