Love Comes In All Sizes: Large Breed Dog Day Out Program Turns Two
Outings of this kind are invaluable for shelter dogs looking for forever homes. photo: SVVP
The national statistics for young large-breed dogs languishing in our animal shelters is overwhelming. Locally, in Santa Clara County, hundreds of beautiful, healthy large dogs are waiting to be noticed and adopted. Unfortunately, there is a definite shortage of adopters, especially those who are able to provide for large dogs who are energetic and need training, enrichment, and exercise to thrive. And with the ever expanding list of breed restrictions at many rentals, even fewer families are able welcome a large dog into their home.
Back in 2018, Silicon Valley Pet Project opened Pup Plaza, a temporary space we called Silicon Valley’s first dog community center. Along with other initiatives, we started a Dog Day Out program, partnering with the San Jose Animal Care Center. At that time, we welcomed small adoptable dogs to hang out with dog-loving volunteers for the day. Until Covid restrictions ended this program, many small dogs enjoyed a weekly break from shelter life.
As the pandemic progressed, the demographics of the adoptable dogs at San Jose Animal Care Center changed. Fewer small dogs were available and many more young large-breed dogs were now crowding the kennels. In response to this change and at the request of the shelter, Silicon Valley Pet Project redeveloped our Dog Day Out Program to suit the needs of the shelter’s large-dog population and built a team of skilled volunteers to take these kennel-stressed dogs on outings to hiking trails, shopping malls, Starbucks, and neighborhood walks, with each outing lasting several hours. After every outing, our dedicated volunteers complete a DDO Report Card and take photos, which are then used to promote these adoptable dogs to the public.
Outings of this kind are invaluable for shelter dogs looking for forever homes. Researchers at Virginia Tech and Arizona State University recently studied the effects of outings of just a few hours and fostering stays of one to two nights on dogs’ length of stay in the shelter and their adoption outcomes. The results? Brief outings and temporary fostering stays increased dogs’ likelihood of adoption by 5 times and more than 14 times, respectively!
Silicon Valley Pet Project’s program gives these larger dogs a much-needed break from shelter life and allows our volunteers to witness the dogs’ true personalities and temperaments - something that is almost impossible to do in a stressful shelter environment. Given that many of these dogs have unknown histories, it is critical to provide prospective adopters with details about these dogs’ behaviors outside the kennel environment so their true natures can be seen and appreciated.
In February 2024, SVPP’s Shelter Dog Day Out program for large breeds celebrated its two year anniversary, with 700 outings completed. We are sincerely grateful for the dedicated, skilled volunteers who help us show these fabulous dogs to the public, and who work hard to shine light on these overlooked shelter pups. If you are looking to adopt a large-breed dog, please consider one of the more than 200 dogs at the San Jose Animal Care Center waiting to be adopted.
Silicon Valley Pet Project has been a rescue partner with the San Jose Animal Care Center for nearly 10 years. In addition to the Shelter Dog Day Out Program, our flagship Foster Program takes in the most vulnerable dogs, including many senior pups, those with advanced medical issues, and some with significant behavioral needs that only a dedicated foster home with training support can help heal. We are always in need of committed foster homes for large dogs and we receive urgent pleas every day to rescue more.
For more information about Silicon Valley Pet Project’s programs, please visit our website here. We hope you’ll be able to make room in your heart for our wonderful large dogs by volunteering, fostering, or - just maybe - finding your special match for a forever home.