Most students leave for college and experience a wave of homesickness for their families – missing their moms, dads, and siblings. Fortunately, in this day and age, they are only a FaceTime call away. However, there is one kind of homesickness no phone, video, or call can cure: missing a pet. No matter how close you hold the camera to their face, how many times you see their name through the speaker, or how many photos you scroll through, the ache of missing them cannot be replaced.
On the brightside, only fifteen minutes away, the Humane Society Waterville Area offers anyone the opportunity to adopt a dog for a day, and take them on a Doggy Day Trip.
You simply show up at the shelter, fill out a few forms, and a dog from the shelter is yours for a few hours. The shelter is home to kittens, cats, rabbits, and even some parakeets.
Joshua Forester, executive director of the humane society, described the Doggy Day Trip as a “win win.” He explains that the point of the Doggy Day Trip is for the dogs “enrichment.” He says, what might not seem like that thrilling an experience for a human, is a huge experience for the dogs: “Every single smell that dog smells, or every single sight that dog sees is them using up brain power to process everything,” he describes. Forester uses the example of a cinnamon roll: “if I put a cinnamon roll in front of you, you’re like ‘it smells like cinnamon rolls. A dog is going to be like, ‘okay, I smell flour, cinnamon, sugar, butter…’ […] when you have a dog walking and it’s smelling the ground, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but they’re analyzing every single thing they’re smelling. I can’t stress enough how important that is for the dog.”
The fact of the matter is, with animals in the shelter, this kind of “enrichment” the Doggy Day Trips provide doesn’t get done enough, simply because of all that needs to get done on the day-to-day to keep all the animals in the shelter healthy. Forester notes that while a typical shelter has, on average, 60 animals per staff member throughout the year, this humane society has roughly 94 animals per staff member. This is because salaries are one of the most expensive components of the shelter, along with trips to the vet. As a result, employees are very busy. The shelter opens to the public at noon, but employees arrive at 8:30 in the morning, where their primary job is to clean.
“I’m very proud of the staff,” Forester affirms, “In 2023, our euthanasia rate was 7 percent… Now, it’s less than 1 percent. A big part of that is because the staff’s done a great job at making sure they’re following protocols, and procedures to prevent the spread of disease.” Upon entering the shelter, it is clear that everyone there loves and cares for the animals with great attention to detail.
The Doggy Day Trips are completely free, and volunteers are given a backpack with toys, treats, and bags for the dog. “It was so wholesome taking Lilly on the hike. She was the most energetic dog ever,” Meghan Wiseman ‘28 recalled. “We called her cocaine dog because she seemed like she was on crack,” Dede Tindall ‘28 admitted.
Forester reminisced on his time in the military, saying, “I remember that one of the things I hated the most was missing my dog. Whenever somebody would bring a dog to the barracks, it was super uplifting for the people, not just the dog.” Forester pointed out that students have the unique opportunity to hang out with a dog for the day, without having to worry about cleaning up after, feeding, and paying for the dog. This program is “not just about the dog, it’s about the people,” he concluded.
Sophomores Dede Tindall, Henry Evans, Doug DeNatale, Meghan Wiseman, Alena Rossi, Ella Brochu and Shannon Murray took their dog, Lilly, for a hike. Conscious of the fact that Waterville is about to get covered in snow and ice, Forester encouraged people to pick up a dog simply for errands. With plans to make a longer, more extensive list of dog friendly places, Forester named Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply as places to take the dog if you are ever running an errand there.
The shelter plans to host various fundraisers in the future. One example was an event they did last week, where volunteers locked themselves in a kennel, and had to use their social media to get bailed out. People would send donations to the shelter in order to bail out volunteers. Forester made a deal with his staff, agreeing that “if we raise $5,000 for our team I’ll let you guys shave off my beard.” Beardless, Forester admits “I hadn’t seen my chin since 2009.”
The Humane Society Waterville Area would benefit from volunteers, publicity, and donations. Whether you show up to play with kittens, bunnies, or dogs, you are guaranteed to walk out a little happier than when you walked in.
~ Molly Garvey `28
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