Imagine being in an un-familiar place... surrounded by so many things, people, noises. In my mind, that would be a very stressful place. And that's exactly what's going on in many overcrowded animal shelters. It can stress the animals out, and then they're surrounded by other stressed out animals-- so it's just compounding. All the noise makes it hard to relax, and get some decent sleep, too. That's why I LOVE that Fulton County Animal Services is trying a new program that lets dogs be signed out by volunteers for field trips, naps off campus, maybe even a sleepover! How precious is that? It's like us-- we like to de-compress on the weekend-- or get away for a few days on vacation. It's good for our hearts and minds-- and I think it could be great for these animals too, to rest and re-charge!
Studies have been going on about this for while. Some worried that the dogs might think they're getting adopted, and being returned would be stressful.But overall, it seems it's not harmful and at least reduces their stress while they're away!