FORSYTH, Ga. — It gets a little lonely for doggos like Sherlock; especially since he is kenneled up for about 21 hours a day. He loves when volunteer Chris Spence comes to the Monroe County Animal Shelter for some play time.
"In a matter of 15 or 20 minutes, you can see their demeanor change. They relax, and they want to lay down, and just be petted," Spence said.
Spence and other volunteers, stop by the shelter to spend a few hours of their day, walking the dogs and tossing the ball around just to give them some free time outside of their cages.
"I typically will walk one for a little while, and then just sit down in the grass with them, and sit and talk with, and just spend time with them."
The pups love the attention. Getting the volunteers out here helps to socialize the dogs.
Monroe County Animal Shelter Interim Director, Dawn Kennedy says, "it's just a much better environment when your dogs get around other dogs and people, and they are constantly interacting with humans, and other dogs. They are social animals. They are not meant to be locked up by themselves."
Socializing dogs also helps move them towards being adopted.
"Whether they're being walked, bathed, just having somebody spend time with them is our goal, to get from here to their next."
The next stop being their forever home. Spence says since he started volunteering he has grown to love many dogs at the shelter. "We have to be careful about that, because if I'm not I'll bring a dozen home."
Since Spence can't take all the pups home with him, he needs more volunteers out here preparing these K-9's to find a family to go home to.
If you are interested in volunteering, you can call the shelter at 478-993-1032 or stop by the shelter at 157 L. Cary Bittick Drive in Forsyth. They are open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.