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Shelter Dogs Get Week-Long ‘Vacation’ To Spend Thanksgiving In Real Homes

Twenty Georgia shelter dogs don’t have permanent homes yet, but that won’t stop them from celebrating Thanksgiving in style.

Lifeline Animal Project, a nonprofit that runs multiple shelters in the Atlanta area, launched its first annual “Home for the Pawlidays” program this year. For the week surrounding Thanksgiving, the 20 dogs are staying “as special guests in people’s homes,” spokeswoman Karen Hirsch told TODAY. Lifeline provides food and supplies for the short-term foster homes during the week.

“We chose the dogs who had either been at the shelter the longest or who needed a break from the stress of the shelter the most,” Hirsch told HuffPost in an email. “All the dogs we chose are good candidates, because they adore people.”

As of Wednesday, the program was already a smashing success.

“[The dogs] are going on walks in parks, visiting dog-friendly patios, and cuddling up with their foster parents,” Hirsch said.

At least one woman told the shelter she had “fallen in love” with her canine guest, and Hirsch suspected some of the families might end up adopting the dogs for good, or at least agreeing to foster them longer-term.

But even for the dogs who ultimately go back to the shelter, the program will have had a positive effect on their well-being.

“The dogs actually come back with their batteries recharged, much like we do after a nice vacation from work,” Hirsch said. “It also helps them get adopted more quickly, because we gain valuable insight into their personalities from their foster parents, since dogs can relax and be themselves in a home.”


Article from Huffington Post


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