The Humane Society of Sedona is trying to think outside the box in order to help its long-time residents.
Allie, a 3-year-old spaniel mix, has spent her entire life in shelters, and the society is now running a campaign to finally find her a home.
Weather permitting, director of animal care Chelsea Cohen will dedicate as many of her nights as possible camping out in front of the society with Allie until she is adopted.
“I will do whatever it takes to get Allie adopted,” Cohen said. “She deserves better than this.”
Cohen said the idea came about from a Maricopa County shelter effort that similarly campaigned to adopt out a pit bull.
“It took a day. She [the Maricopa shelter camper] only had to spend a night and then the dog was adopted,” Cohen said.
Allie faces some of the problems pit bulls have when looking for potential adoptees. Though her breed does not have the negative stigma some attach to the pit bull, at 80 pounds, she is a large, active dog, Cohen said.
“She’s going to need a very experienced handler, a very specific home,” Cohen said.
She noted that the active hiking community is a bonus in trying to find larger dogs a home, but that it is countered by an older community that may not be able to handle 80 pounds of muscle.
Allie will require someone who is active and able to burn the energy she has. Allie would be best suited as the only pet in the home, or at least with other large breeds.
“She’s dog-selective,” Cohen said. “What we typically say is she has a prey drive.”
Tall fences and a home as opposed to an apartment, are also ideal.
“A lot of the older and more aggressive dogs are what we see coming to us,” Cohen said as to why dogs end up long-term residents, but that the main issue is kennel behavior.
Cohen said that Allie’s energy can sometimes come out in the form of anxiety as potential adopters come through the kennels during the day.
“When someone will go by, especially a man or someone she’s uncomfortable with, she will growl,” Cohen said, adding that after Allie is out of the kennel, her attitude does a 180.
Anyone interested in adopting Allie will have to pass a consultation with society employees, including questions relating to whether other dogs or pets are in the home, how long the animal will be left alone and so on. Any other pets in the home must be brought in to the society.
Cohen is looking forward to the experience of camping with Allie.
“I want to see what it’s like,” she said. “You build a relationship with these animals and we’re never here overnight.”
She said building up trust between her and Allie was also important, so the dog will know it’s OK to build that trust with a new pet parent.
“I think she really needs that. She’s never had a home experience,” she said.
Cohen will be journaling her time, making video footage and posting it online.
The stress factor that may limit the camping portion of the campaign could be storms. Many dogs become fearful of storms, and Cohen said she didn’t want to risk Allie panicking in an unfamiliar environment.
In addition to the camp out, the mission to adopt out Allie will have several volunteers along State Route 89A holding signs to help raise awareness of the efforts down Shelby Road, where the society is located.
