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Mar 22

Rescue Run Club aims to socialize, exercise shelter dogs – Daily Comet

By Bridget Mire Staff Writer

Looking to get active and help shelter dogs? The Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter's new Rescue Run Fridays have you covered.

At 9 a.m. every Friday starting this week, volunteers will walk or run three miles with all adoptable dogs at the shelter, 934 La. 3185, Thibodaux. Anyone who has not already completed a volunteer orientation should show up 20 minutes early for a brief overview.

Shelter Manager Hilary Knight Detillier said the goal of Rescue Run Fridays is to attract more volunteers who will continue helping out weeks or months from now. The shelter dogs are kenneled and don't have access to exercise yards.

"We have got to start getting these dogs out and moving," Detillier said. "We are kind of gridlocked as far as our space for activity goes. I've been trying to get volunteers out here walking dogs for a long time."

When Lafourche took in dogs from other facilities after the August flooding in Baton Rouge, dozens of people showed up to walk dogs in the mornings and evenings. The shelter kept a schedule to spread out the volunteers.

"We had a huge outpouring of help in August, and then that really dwindled," Detillier said. "If we do this every week, I'm hoping it will stick. ... People have jobs, and our hours are not in line with when people are off. But there are a lot of people that are off on Fridays."

She said she's hoping college students who don't have class at that time decide to spend their Friday mornings at the shelter.

Betsy Magee, chairwoman of the shelter's advisory board, noted that other animal shelters have established exercise programs pairing dogs with volunteers. For example, the St. Charles Parish Animal Shelter has the Rescue Run Club, which meets every Thursday morning.

"I think it's a wonderful thing," Magee said. "It's great for the runners, and it's surely great for the animals."

The shelter's hours have also changed, and it's now open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Previously, it was open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the same days.

Detillier said the new hours will give the staff more time to clean in the morning and potential adopters more time to get to the shelter in the afternoon. Employees will still be available to help with low-cost spay and neuter paperwork and people searching for lost pets before the shelter opens for adoptions, she added.

She said the shelter is always looking for volunteers to socialize animals, complete tasks around the office or help with events, but they must attend orientations first. The shelter posts orientation dates on its Facebook page.

-- Staff Writer Bridget Mire can be reached at 448-7639 or bridget.mire@dailycomet.com. Follow her on Twitter @bridget_mire.

Originally posted here:
Rescue Run Club aims to socialize, exercise shelter dogs - Daily Comet

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