City of Nashville Animal Shelter’s ‘Paws For A Break’

NASHVILLE, Ga. – City of Nashville Animal Shelter now has a new activity called ‘Paws For A Break,’ where you can take a dog on a fun day and then return them to the shelter later on that day. So, I’m going to do just that and take you guys along with me for that experience.

I had the chance to take an incredible dog, “Hulk,” with me today.

“Hulk” came from a tough situation. His previous owner was arrested for animal cruelty.

Despite his past, “Hulk” was nothing but excited, jumping into the car without hesitation.

As someone who doesn’t own a dog, I wanted to make sure he had the best day possible, so I needed some advice…

“Get them out, get them moving. A lot of times walking like walking trails, hiking, that kind of stuff is awesome. Take them to places like Tractor Supply. You don’t have to take them to the dog park. You don’t have to have them interact with anybody. If you’re not comfortable with that, like just getting them out to where they can see and experience things is the best thing, even if it’s just, let’s go to PetSmart. Let’s pick out a toy, let’s go to tractor supply, let’s get a bath. Like that kind of stuff is imperative to them and their experience of the world,” said Kayla Lackey, Animal Control Officer, Nashville.

So, we headed over to Tractor Supply to grab some new goodies for hulk and give him a nice bath.

After exploring the store, we used the self-wash station and gave hulk a fresh scent. (he was a big fan of the dryer!)

He picked out a new bone and toy to bring along. But before we even made it five feet from the register, he couldn’t wait to start chewing on that bone right then and there.

We wrapped up the fun day with a long walk and some well-deserved rest on the way home.

I highly recommend taking a dog on an adventure. It’s such a rewarding experience for them, and it was incredibly fulfilling for me too.

“Basically, the way that we know where to shelter dogs, they sit in cages and it’s really bad for their mental health. And, a lot of these guys, they come in strays and they don’t get a lot of socialization even as puppies, as they’re growing up, they get kind of neglected in that way. So, we want to make sure that they get a lot of mental stimulation while they’re stuck here in cages. So, we made it so people can take them out, get them some socialization, get them playing, get them seeing the world so that when they get adopted, it kind of makes them a more well-rounded, dog with a lot more experiences and a more confident dog to be able to stay in their homes,” said Lackey.

If you’re like me and can’t have a dog right now due to circumstances, please consider visiting the Nashville Animal Shelter to give these amazing pups the best day they deserve!

I’ll definitely miss my buddy “Hulk.”

Gabe Hutton reporting.

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