Ever wanted to spend the entire day locked up with a loving dog? The Humane Society of Northeast Georgia is hosting their annual Angel Lock-In from Sept. 30-Oct.3. The Lock-In will give you a chance to experience how a rescue animal lives for a day.
These adoptable dogs are locked in their kennel for 23 hours a day, hoping to get saved and sent to their forever home.
Kevin Wells, the Development Coordinator, explains how 130 people signed up to participate in this year’s Lock-in to raise their goal of $100,000. Before they are locked up, each person sets their own individual goal. That amount is how much must be donated to bail them out.
For those who cannot attend in person, there is a virtual pen, a conference call version of the event where participants must stay on the call until they are bailed out.
If you want to participate in this year’s Lock-In, you can visit the Humane Society’s website at: https://humanesocietyofnortheastgeorgia.org/events/lock-in/ then you just fill out a form to be locked up.
Chief Development Coordinator Sam Threadgill is overseeing the event.
“We want to help give insight towards what these animals go through,” – Sam Threadgill.
Currently, 150 dogs are waiting to be adopted since there has been an increase in owner surrenderings. To surrender a dog to the humane society, they need to have an appointment and the appointment slots are always full.
However, “leading up to the month of the Angel Lock-In, adoptions are usually higher because of all the advertising,” said Threadgill.
With the influx of dogs, it is hard for the staff to keep up since they are experiencing a staff shortage. Threadgill explains how they need more trained hands to help spade, neuter, microchip, and do a comprehensive examination of the dogs.
The average cost of staying at the humane society is $275 to receive basic medical needs such as shots, microchips, and examinations. That does not include food, air conditioning, toys, or treats, so the earnings of Angel Lock-In helps significantly to provide for the dogs.
The standard stay for dogs is 21 days, but some outliers like Tuggle, an adorable, chunky terrier mix who loves car rides, treats, and puzzles has been at the humane society for eight months.
Tuggle was an owner surrender because they did not have an adequate yard.
Tuggle struggles to get adopted because “he seems intimidating when he is in the kennel,” said Threadgill, and people will pass him. Tuggle is the complete opposite because he is described as a big softy who likes to eat everything, including his toys.
Threadgill demonstrates how sometimes the dogs can go “kennel crazy,” and they are working on different strategies to allow the dogs to gain more stimuli such as letting the dogs play in the Bark Park to let them socialize together.
When people visit the humane society, it can be challenging to gain insight into the dogs’ true personalities. So they are incorporating a new policy where the staff will bring the dogs in a common room to create a calm environment to allow the dog to shine.
They also designed a wall of facts that can help ‘Get To Know Us,’ letting the people read facts on the dogs. Such as “he is a handsome fella. He is so smart and easy to walk and will even sit on command, and he is ready for a family of his own.”
Many dogs struggle with anxiety because it gets deafening and chaotic, and it is hard for the dogs to have a relaxed environment. So the humane society installed speakers in the kennel room where they play classical music to help calm them down.
If you want to watch the Angel Lock-In, you can follow them on Instagram @humanescoietynega, and if you have any questions about the Angel Lock-In, you can email them to:[email protected]
