How to host a sleepover for an adoptable Ohio dog during Christmas
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The Franklin County Dog Shelter & Adoption Center has a plan for hundreds of dogs looking for a home during the holiday season, but it needs the public's help.
The shelter is hosting its annual holiday sleepover event, asking people in the area to let an adoptable dog stay at their home until Dec. 26. Staff will open the building for anyone to come pick up dogs on Wednesday and Thursday until 6 p.m.
"There are some cases too, if you decide you want to extend that through the New Year, you can definitely keep the sleepover foster until the New Year and then bring them back on the second," said Animal Care Manager Hannah Henschen.
The Franklin County Dog Shelter was housing around 230 dogs as of Monday. The shelter's maximum capacity is around 300, and Henschen is hoping at least half of the current residents get to go to sleepovers.
"If we could do 105 dogs in one day last year, with two days this year, to get 120 out would be amazing," Henschen said.
While adopting is optional after the sleepover, Henschen noted that all of the dogs eligible for adoption will also be offered at a special discount.
"Any adoption that comes from the sleepover event is just an $18 license fee. The actual adoption fee is kind of waived," Henschen said. "If you're on the fence, but you want to still keep the dog kind of as a foster but not adopt it, you can turn that dog into a long-term foster as well."
The animal care manager also said that the sleepover is beneficial even if the person hosting doesn't keep their dog afterward, because it provides a test run for shelter staff to see how they behave in a home environment.
"A lot of people come just for that intention, just to give the dogs kind of time out of the shelter for the holidays," Henschen said. "For dogs that may have been here for a long time, over a hundred days and never left, we don't know how they do in a home."
Henschen recommended coming to visit earlier on Wednesday or Thursday, as long lines and wait times may affect how many people the shelter staff can pair with a dog.
For dogs that aren't taken to sleepovers, the shelter will keep staff on hand to care for them during the holiday weekend. The shelter will stay open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday for anyone still interested in helping a dog.
The Franklin County Dog Shelter has a Facebook event for the sleepover, where anyone can RSVP to bring a dog home. As of Tuesday, 499 people had expressed interest.