Pajamas and paws for a great cause

Humane Animal Partners hosted a Shelter Slumber Pawty April 18-19, giving volunteers, donors, staff and community partners the opportunity to spend 24 hours with furry companions. This national fundraiser event gives humans an eye-opening experience of what life within the walls of a shelter looks like.

During this year’s fundraiser, three people spent the night at the Rehoboth location of Humane Animal Partners, and there were 21 participants overall across all locations.

Across the 24 hours, participants walked the dogs, socialized with the cats, cleaned, and snuggled with the animals. At the Rehoboth location, there was a sweet treat party where everyone was included: dogs devoured cake, cats nibbled on tuna treats and humans got to enjoy cupcakes.

Lindsay Dempsey was a part of the staff on the weekend event.

“I definitely felt cooped up, confined and anxious,” she said. “Especially overnight, I wanted to get up and do things, and that was only for one day! It was a huge eye-opening experience to not only see just how much these animals rely on the staff and volunteers for their basic needs, but also how much time they spend stuck in their kennels alone.”

Not only does this fundraiser give humans a unique glimpse at life in a shelter, it also positively impacts the animals involved in the experience. It helps demonstrate that animals are calmer, quieter and more content when humans are around for the night.