Finding the right match: A dog and its owner enjoy time together, a reminder of the lifelong companionship available through adoption at the Spartanburg Humane Society. Photo courtesy of the Spartanburg Humane Society
August is National Dog Month, and here in Spartanburg, we’re celebrating alongside the Spartanburg Humane Society, where you’ll find dogs of every age, shape, and size ready to find their forever family.
According to Melanie Burt, Foster Coordinator and Humane Education Coordinator, Spartanburg Humane currently has 92 dogs available for adoption.
“This time of year slows down for us,” says Burt. “We do about 20 to 30 adoptions a week, whereas in the summer months we see closercoser to 40 or 50 a week.” It makes sense — kids are heading back to school, people are settling back into a work routine post-vacation, and life is beginning to ease into its fall rhythm. However, according to Burt, this transitional season is actually an ideal time to introduce a new pet into the home.
“You’re getting into your new routine, your regular day-to-day life, and you can really settle into what it would look like to bring a new pet into your family,” she explains. “When you do it on your summer break, it’s like, ‘Oh, I’m home for three weeks, I have all this time to pour into the dog,’ which is great for bonding, but realistically, what does that look like when you do get back into a routine? So this really is the perfect time.”
At the Spartanburg Humane Society, staff and volunteers spend extensive time ensuring each and every dog is loved and cared for, and that the dogs are able to connect with other pets.
“We do an enrichment program called Dogs Playing for Life, where it’s our goal to get every possible dog in our shelter outside playing with other dogs every day,” says Burt. “Some of our dogs don’t like other dogs, and that looks a little bit different for them — they can hang out in a pen watching the other dogs play, but they’re still seeing that this is what social dogs do. But we have pretty robust playgroup program where we get 10 or 15 dogs outside at a time, and they’re just getting to play together. It’s great for them, because they learn so much from each other, and when adopters who already have a dog in the home come in, we can already recommend dogs that love playing with others.”
Additionally, all of the dogs available for adoption at the Spartanburg Humane Society have already been spayed or neutered and are ready to go home with their new family.
“You come in, and you tell us the kind of personality you’re looking for in a dog,” she says. “You can even take a look at our website first and kind of narrow down the top three dogs you want to visit with, and we’ll get them straight into a little play yard with you so you can really see their personalities come out.”
If that visit goes well, potential adopters can take their new furry friend home that very day. Potential adopters with other pets at home are first asked to bring their pet to the Humane Society to meet the dog they’re considering adopting to ensure they interact well together.
“If that goes well, you take them home same day,” says Burt.
The adoption fee for adult dogs is $95, and covers vaccines, the spay or neuter surgery, a microchip, dewormings, and a year’s supply of heartworm prevention.
According to Burt, the key to a successful adoption is to honestly evaluate your lifestyle and personal priorities before adopting.
“I think everybody has a version of themselves that they want to be, like, ‘I want to be somebody who goes on hikes every weekend and has a lot of free time at home,’ but that doesn’t necessarily reflect the reality of their work schedule or what they really want to do when the weekend comes around,” says Burt. “So, for me, if I come in pretending that that’s the person I want to be — and it might actually be — it would be unfair of me to adopt a very active dog that does want to be on the go, just because that’s my goal person to be. Being honest about where you’re at is so important.”
She also shares that it’s important to be open-minded about the breed of your new pet. “Some people come in with certain breed connotations, like, ‘Oh, I’ve never liked chihuahuas, I don’t want to visit with a chihuahua.’ And we always say, it really doesn’t matter. It matters how they were raised and how we treat them here and how we got them out of their shell. The breed really doesn’t matter.”
Burt says that when matching a person to a pet, the Humane Society focuses more on lifestyle and personality traits that the adopter is looking for in a dog — because that match makes all the difference. If someone comes in wanting a snuggly dog, the team at Spartanburg Humane wants to make sure that match is made.
For people on the fence about adopting, Burt recommends joining their volunteer program — a self-paced opportunity for members of the Spartanburg community to spend time with pets in need. After an initial orientation, volunteers can come by the Humane Society anytime and spend time with the dogs.
“If you’re on the fence about working a dog into your life or don’t want to make a quick decision, volunteering is a really good middle ground to get to know our dogs,” says Burt. “A lot of our volunteers come in and want to walk the same five or six dogs every time, so they really get the chance to know them.”
Celebrate National Dog Month with the Spartanburg Humane Society, open Monday through Saturday from 12pm to 6pm. The team can’t wait to connect you with your new furry friend, and encourages members of the community to come by to volunteer or to visit their website to see the dogs currently up for adoption.
