You can take a Charlotte shelter dog for a Sunday run
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Photo: Ashley Mahoney/Axios
There's a run club in Charlotte dedicated to giving shelter dogs a break from their kennels. It's called Zoomie Toomey Run Club and it's based at Animal Care & Control's satellite shelter off Remount Road.
Why it matters: Like other animal shelters across the country, Animal Care & Control is struggling with capacity.
Catch up quick: Zoomie Toomey Run Club recently returned after a weeks-long hiatus while the Toomey shelter was closed for required renovations.
- Upgrades, which were necessary for state relicensing, included improving kennel flooring and fencing. The shelter reopened on Aug. 28.
Zoom in: Zoomie Toomey Run Club, while not an official AC&C program, serves as an extension of AC&C's daycation program.
Go deeper: Give Charlotte shelter dogs a break from the kennel with a daycation or staycation
What to expect: The run club meets at the shelter Sundays at 10am. It runs until noon. There's plenty of parking in the lot across from the shelter.
- The volunteer-led effort drew between 60-70 people every Sunday before the shelter's temporary closure, run club founder Ricky Highsmith tells Axios.
- You can take dogs for a walk or a run on the nearby greenway or the area surrounding the shelter. About 30-40 minutes each is plenty, according to run club organizers. There are pools filled with water and ice for the dogs to cool down in. A photo ID and a little paperwork are required before your adventure.
- You're provided with a leash, treats and poop bags for your dog. You'll take one dog for a walk or run at a time, but you're able to take as many dogs out as are available during your visit.
Stop by: 2700 Toomey Ave.
What they're saying: "It's about creating opportunities for shelter dogs to be seen, exercised and connected with people who may become their next foster or adopter," Highsmith says.
Flashback: Highsmith was initially taking each dog out individually by himself every Sunday morning. That was about 18-20 dogs at one to two miles each.
- "That's a lot of miles," Highsmith says. "I just needed some help."
- He started reaching out to people to help him get the dogs out of their kennels. What started with three people has become as many as 80.
- They're beginning to track the data of the program's impact on adoptions, but that data wasn't originally documented, Highsmith says.
The big picture: Anyone can come to the shelter and participate in the staycation or daycation program to give dogs a break from the kennels. It doesn't have to be on Sundays during run club.
- "I just saw a window for people to come together and take a massive amount of dogs out," Highsmith says. "Anyone could have done this. It just takes a lot of miles and a lot of running."
My thought bubble: My husband and I attended run club in June prior to the shelter's temporary closure. We brought ice to put in the pool for the dogs after their run. Their smiles will melt your heart.