By Khalida Sarwari
He’s no snowman and he certainly doesn’t have a corncob pipe and a button nose, but Humane Society Silicon Valley’s eponymous white pooch is a jolly, happy soul who loves to play and fares better outdoors than indoors.
Frosty also has become a bit of a social media star amid the organization’s efforts to promote a new program focused on giving its larger dogs a temporary break from the shelter until they find a forever home.
A Nov. 22 video post on Facebook showing the pup happily rolling around on the ground garnered nearly 300 “likes,” dozens of shares and comments such as “I hope he finds a home soon, poor dog!” and “I love his happy face!” Some inquired about the status of his adoption while others expressed regret about being unable to adopt him themselves.
If the scores of admirers on Facebook constitute Frosty’s unofficial fan club, then Susannah Greenwood of San Jose is without a doubt the leader of that pack. She was a regular presence at the organization’s Milpitas facility last month, stopping by on three different occasions to pick up the 3-year-old pitbull and take him on jaunts in local parks.
Their outings are filled with exercise and fresh air, sprinkled with smooches and decorated with smiles from the moment Greenwood picks up the pooch from his room and loads him into her bright yellow Jurassic Park-style Jeep Wrangler. But each time she makes the drive back to 901 Ames Ave., the smiles grow just a little more bittersweet. That was certainly the case on Nov. 30, after a two-hour walk at Quarry Lakes Regional Recreation Area in Fremont.
“I can’t have a dog,” she said. “I’m not going to have a dog. My lifestyle is normally not fair for a dog.”
Previously an online content and social media manager for the San Jose Convention Center but currently unemployed, Greenwood can allot the time and care a high-energy 80-pound dog like Frosty requires. What she can’t provide, however, is space or a compatible lifestyle as she lives in a duplex with a cat that doesn’t get along with dogs. So because of her circumstances, these short trips to the park will have to do.
It’s an arrangement that works just fine for the Humane Society, and in fact, the organization encourages it. While the nonprofit’s mission is to find its animals a permanent home, up until last month it struggled with finding a way to help de-stress some of the larger dogs in the shelter that take longer to get adopted. On occasion, a number of volunteers would occasionally take the dogs out on short walks around the facility and play with them whenever they were available. But when staff members saw some of their animals bounce around restlessly in their rooms week after week, they realized there had to be a better way.
The “Doggy Day Out” program was created in November to address the needs of those dogs while giving people who aren’t able to keep them long-term a chance to spend quality time with a canine. It’s what negotiating businessmen would call a “win-win” for all parties involved.
“The purpose of the program is around being able to get our medium and large dogs that have a lot of energy and run around and being at the shelter stresses them out—being able to get them out,” said Sandy Mallalieu, marketing director for the Humane Society. “It helps them, it helps us learn about them more, which helps us find them homes faster.”
That’s what the organization is hoping will be the ultimate outcome for Frosty. The pitbull has been at the Humane Society since August, the longest stay among all the other similar-size dogs at the shelter.
“He was surrendered to us by a senior man who was moving to a new place that would not allow him to have dogs,” said Michelle Suarez, an intake and behavioral programs manager who described the pup as “a big marshmallow goofball” who thinks he’s a lap dog.
Frosty is joined at the Humane Society by Dodge, a 2-year-old Siberian husky who was hit by a car and transferred from another shelter, and Tommy, a 5-year-old cattle dog-border collie mix who was also transferred from a different shelter. All three need a permanent home but are available for the Doggy Day Out program for the time being.
“The program was created around Frosty,” said Suarez. “We were trying to get him out of the shelter for a day to give him a break.”
The first time Greenwood learned that Frosty was available, it came as a big surprise to her. She recalled reading a blog post about him on the Humane Society’s website and seeing photos of him on its Facebook page.
“Frosty is a little bit of a celebrity,” she said, laughing.
She was told that the first dog she ever took out, Layla, also a pitbull, had been adopted, leaving Greenwood with fond memories of their day hiking at Montalvo in Saratoga. Now she had a chance to make new memories with the famous Frosty, and Greenwood didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. She said she quickly learned Frosty “needs a human bond and human interaction perhaps more than other dogs.”
Greenwood said she learned about Doggy Day Out through Facebook. Upon seeing a post promoting the program, Greenwood, who said she’d recently lost a cat to cancer and admitted becoming “stir crazy” from spending much of her unemployed time writing cover letters and applying to jobs, contacted the organization to inquire if she was a good fit. The Humane Society sent her four waivers to sign and a manual to read, asked her a few questions about her background, familiarity and comfort with larger dogs and finally, availability. On Nov. 14, the Humane Society signed her up for her first day out with Layla.
“We make sure that the person is comfortable with the dog and the dog is comfortable with the person,” Suarez said.
One challenge for the staff, Suarez said, is ensuring that the dogs spend enough time at the shelter so prospective foster caregivers and adopters have a chance to see and meet them, a point staffers must keep in mind when scheduling the dogs for short-term excursions. For that reason, the organization has capped its inventory of dogs for the Doggy Day Out program to three at one time.
The program is only four weeks old, but leaders are already seeing a sustained interest from volunteers, not to mention noticeable health benefits in their dogs. “They’re really contributing to the welfare of the dogs by taking them out and it helps them get adopted faster,” Mallalieu said.
Suarez agreed. “No matter how awesome this place is, these guys need a home, an environment that is individualized for their personality,” she said. “This is still a stressful place to be, and it’s more stressful for them to be here than for them to be out in the real world going out for a walk with a stranger.”
The organization has had more than 30 people apply for the program, with about half a dozen serving as regular volunteers. Some, like Greenwood, are “hooked,” Suarez said.
“They’re coming in at least once a week, if not twice a week,” she said.
Volunteers don’t get to choose the dog; it’s the staffers that make that decision, according to Suarez. There are no fees associated with the program and the Humane Society provides volunteers with everything they might need for their excursion, including waste bags, food, treats, bedding, a water bottle, a crate or seatbelt leash, and a vest inscribed with “Adopt Me.”
The tactic seems to be working. So far, six dogs have been adopted, Suarez said.
The profile of volunteers varies from families with allergic members who therefore can’t have a dog at home to professionals whose lifestyle doesn’t allow them to own a dog to active folks who just want a companion along on walks and hikes. The duration of the outings also varies, said Suarez, from a few hours up to a few days. There are no strict rules about time or distance, she said, as long as the dogs are returned safely.
Even though Greenwood isn’t ready to adopt Frosty–or any dog, for that matter–anytime soon, she said she’d return to take Frosty out until he’s adopted. And once that happens, she’d like to continue to take out other dogs for walks and hikes on the weekends.
“I was a bit shocked at how just great I think the dogs and I feel afterward,” she said. “I had kind of a sedentary work life, and I feel I wasn’t motivated to get outside and this was a little boost.”
She also remains optimistic about Frosty’s future. “He does have some specific needs, but he is going to be just the best for someone,” she said. “I know that he’d make someone very happy.”
The Humane Society is still seeking volunteers for the Doggy Day Out program. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer is asked to send an email to doggydayout@hssv.org.
The organization is also participating in a regional campaign called “Home for the Holidays,” in which it offers $15 adoption fees for all animals six months of age or older instead of the regular $175. The promotion runs through Jan. 8. Visit sheltersfirst.org for a list of participating shelters.
Link: Humane Society introduces new short-term fostering program for dogs
