Plan a rewarding day for you, or your family, and a pet to spend the day on a walk, go shopping or play the grass somewhere through a “Doggy Day Out.” It’s a good way to “test drive” a dog to see if he or she is suited for your family and friends or you as a single owner, or to just to help Amarillo build an accurate profile for a dog.

Amarillo Animal Management Welfare is bringing back their successful Doggy Day Out program so that adoptable shelter pets can be socialized and get out for a fun day outside the confinements of a shelter. It also helps AAMW discover traits of a dog — such as, does it travel well in a car, does it play well with others, is it good on a leash, friendly or scared.

Though many of the above questions have been answered by staff caring for the pets needing a home, it’s always good to see how they react to the outside world. Many of the pets come in without a history they can tell … many are abandoned or lost from their homes. So many good dogs are trained and have just lost their owners.

Some people can’t have a pet, but they just want to enjoy some time with an animal and help a dog get out and about for a while, and also help get the pet adopted by spending time with it and learning the dog’s traits.

Sterlin Lash, rescue manager with AAMW, attended the City of Amarillo’s Lunch & Learn session on Wednesday, Jan. 7 to promote the event. Lash also wanted to reach out to people considering a pet, but who want to be sure the dog will fit in, or those who just want to help by taking a dog out for a day. Many dogs are adopted after having a Day Out, said Lash, but the dogs are so happy just to get out and play.

“We’ve had officers that can come in after hours, if needed, if people are not able to come out during our open hours, which are Tuesday through Saturday at 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. So, if people can’t make it during those hours, we can definitely try to facilitate them,” Lash said.

“We can upload photos into their file so people can see how they interact with people and other animals,” he said. Lash explained that when the volunteer brings the dog back, they have a nice little report card they fill out that tells about the dog: things they did and what they found out about the dog, such as tricks or commands the dog may know or areas where the dog may need some training.

There are rules to be followed for Doggy Day Out, including:

• Don’t leave the dog unattended, especially in a car or with children;

• Do have fun with the dog;

• Return by 6 p.m., or call if unable to or needing pick up.

Filling out the profile

Lash said that the participants fill out a questionnaire after they return to better define the dog’s personality, so they can make an accurate profile on the dog. People can read the chart on the pet and see if the profile seems to fit their needs.

“We are not sending animals that display behavior problems,” he said. “But we have a tier system where we label our dogs from orange, to yellow and finally green. The green dogs are the ones we send out to volunteers for the program. We want our volunteers to be safe. Of course, the animals going out are fixed, vaccinated and microchipped in case one gets away. We have plenty of emergency services in case something happens.”

AAMW is going to extra lengths to accommodate people’s hectic schedules. “As soon as we open at 10 a.m., they can take the dog out, and if they need to be out longer, we can put a tag on their kennel letting people know that they are still adoptable and can still facilitate adoptions. Some times we can take a dog to a potential adopter or meet them to pick one up.”

Lash said that it helps the dog interact with people and burn excess energy too. “They come back tuckered out,” he said, after socializing all day.

The AAMW has compiled a list of activities that a person can do to socialize the pet. (These locations are not affiliated with AAMW. Please check their policies regarding pets. Restaurants are mostly for patio only.)

• Restaurants (mostly outside patio only):

  • Golden Light Café & Cantina

  • Pondeseta in Amarillo & Canyon

• Scenic Walks:

  • (Two Miles or less)

    • McDonald Lake Loop Trail – 45th & Coulter

    • John Stiff Memorial Park – 1100 Wallace Blvd.

    • Southeast Park – 2500 SE 46th Ave (down the street from the shelter)

  • (Three + Miles)

    • Rock Island Trail – Coulter to 7th Ave.

    • 9th Street Trails – 7000 SW 9th Ave.

For more information, check out their website at amwrescue@amarillo.gov or call 806-378-6483.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Doggy Day Out helps people tend to a dog for a day, or a lifetime