If your house and heart have a little extra room, two central Ohio animal shelters are offering a way for you to bring home a four-legged house guest for the holidays.

The Franklin County Dog Shelter and Humane Society of Delaware County are each bringing back their popular Holiday Sleepover programs that allow people to take home adoptable dogs for sleepovers during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holidays.

About 125 dogs will be available at the Franklin County shelter, while Delaware’s humane society will have about 20 to 25 dogs that can come home with you over the holidays.

Here’s how you can foster a shelter dog for the holidays.

How do I sign up for a holiday sleepover?

The Franklin County Dog Shelter does not require any prior registration for a holiday sleepover. People can walk into the shelter and shelter staff will help them find a dog that’s a perfect fit, said shelter spokesperson Erin Hamill. She added that some people come in knowing exactly which dog they want to take home while others have no idea.

“Our team just asks the right questions and gives them suggestions,” she said.

The Franklin County shelter’s holiday sleepovers are also open to those who do not live in Franklin County.

The Humane Society of Delaware County requires people fill out an online foster application, but it’s a seamless process, said Executive Director Jana Cassidy.

When do I pick up a shelter dog for a holiday sleepover?

You can pick up a dog from the Franklin County Dog Shelter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21 or from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 22 at their shelter located at 4340 Tamarack Blvd. in Columbus.

But people can still bring a shelter dog home for a sleepover after those set pickup days. Hamill said if there are still dogs available on Dec. 23 or Christmas Eve, people can stop by the shelter and staff will help them find a pup to take home.

“If anybody comes in now through the New Year and they want to take a dog on a sleepover, we would love that,” she said.

But the shelter will close two hours early at 5 p.m. on Dec. 24.

The Delaware County humane society’s application includes an questionnaire so staff can learn about the potential host family and match them with a pup that fits best. Once someone is approved, shelter staff schedules a time for them to pick up a dog on Dec. 24.

When do I return the dog after a holiday sleepover?

Dogs can be returned to the Franklin County Dog Shelter from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 28 or from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 29.

Host families can return dogs to the Humane Society of Delaware County as early as Dec. 26, but the shelter is flexible on returns and dogs can stay through the weekend after Christmas.

Both shelters allow dogs to stay with their host families through New Year’s Day.

What if I want to keep the dog?

That’s what the shelters are hoping.

If you fall in love with your holiday guest, you can absolutely adopt them. Franklin County is waiving the adoption fee if a host family or someone connected to them adopts the dog. The adopting family would only have to pay $18 for the county dog license.

The Humane Society of Delaware County adoption fee is $200 for adult dogs and $350 for puppies under a year. The shelter also sells Delaware County dog licenses, which are $15.

Do I need to provide food or other items for the sleepover?

Nope! The shelters will send you home with food, toys, a leash, collar, crate or any other care supplies you will need.

Franklin County also offers 24-hour support in case a dog needs returned early or needs emergency medical care, even on the holidays, Hamill said. People can call 614-525-3400, which goes directly to animal control officers.

How does a holiday sleepover benefit the dogs?

By getting out of the shelter for a few days, dogs get the chance to decompress and relax, Hamill and Cassidy said. It gives the animals a chance to experience new things and get a really good night’s sleep.

“It’s kind of similar to us taking a long weekend vacation,” Hamill said. “We get weekends off, these dogs don’t.”

Giving the dogs a break from shelter life reduces their stress and anxiety. Hamill said studies have shown dogs’ cortisol levels are lower and remain lower compared to when the dog left the shelter when they leave for a few days.

“We see such a personality shift in them in such a positive way,” Hamill said.

Dogs can act so differently at the shelter compared to a home, so the sleepovers are an opportunity to learn more about each dog’s unique personality.

When dogs return to the Delaware County humane society, staff gather intel from host families about how the dogs did on their walks, how they slept, if they liked specific toys, how they interacted with the host family’s pets or children and other tidbits.

“It just gives us more information to find the right fit and home moving forward,” Cassidy said.

Shelter staff knowing more about the dogs leads to more adoptions. The Delaware County shelter had all 22 of the dogs in their care get fostered over Thanksgiving this year and six of those dogs were adopted by their host families or someone connected to the host family, Cassidy said.

Roughly 50% of the Franklin County shelter dogs that go on sleepovers get adopted by their host family or someone connected to them, Hamill said.

And if a dog gets adopted as a result of their sleepover, that frees up their space in the shelter for another dog in need, Cassidy said.

“It gives us the opportunity not only to save one, but it gives us the opportunity to double down on that and get another one in,” she said. “There’s no downside to this at all.”

Delaware County and eastern Columbus suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How to foster a central Ohio shelter dog during Christmas, New Year’s