On Saturday, Sept. 19, shelter dogs in Los Angeles could leave their kennels with volunteers for an outing. Residents met dogs through Adventure Buddy Day, a joint effort by Los Angeles Animal Services and Best Friends Animal Society. The idea was modest and clear: let dogs spend time with a human companion and experience a different part of the city.
Best Friends reported that 395 dogs from the city’s six animal shelters went out on adventures that day. The organization said some dogs were taken out more than once. NBC Los Angeles independently reported that nearly 400 dogs from the six shelters took part. The figures describe a single day, not a permanent change in shelter capacity. Together, they document a substantial one-day effort across the city’s six shelters.
A citywide invitation
The city’s event notice named six locations: Chesterfield Square, East Valley, Harbor, West Los Angeles, West Valley and North Central. LA Animal Services scheduled the event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and described it as a chance for eligible dogs to leave the shelter and spend time with a human companion. The agency and Best Friends said they were working together to make the outing possible.
The invitation was aimed at more than people ready to adopt. LA Animal Services described the event as an option for dog lovers who were not prepared to bring an animal home, offering time together without a long-term commitment. That distinction matters: a volunteer could help by sharing part of a day, while still leaving adoption or fostering decisions for another time.
For a citywide effort, the logistics began at the shelter doors. Participants met and were paired with a dog. Best Friends’ account describes people taking dogs to beaches, trails, around the block and other places. Its report also says 18 dogs went out more than once, extending the day beyond a single outing for those dogs.
One volunteer and a dog named Chico
NBC Los Angeles followed volunteer Steven Szydio, who was paired with Chico, a bull terrier. Szydio told the station that he wanted to get Chico out of the shelter, let him see the world and help him meet people. The station’s video showed Chico exploring outside before settling on nearby grass for a drink of water. It was one small example from a much larger day, but it made the purpose of the program easy to picture: a human companion, a little room to roam, and time beyond the kennel.
Best Friends chief executive Julie Castle wrote afterward that the dogs were paired with people who took them out for the day. Her account emphasized ordinary adventures rather than a single required destination. Castle described a range of ordinary outings, from walks and rides to beach visits and quiet time with a person.
A good day has value on its own
Best Friends says time away from a shelter can give dogs new experiences and help people see parts of their personalities that may be harder to notice in a kennel. That is the organization’s explanation for why these outings matter; a day outside does not guarantee an adoption or solve the larger need for homes. It does create a direct moment of companionship for an animal waiting in a shelter, and a low-commitment way for residents to meet one of the dogs in their community.
LA Animal Services told prospective participants that the dogs would be available through its shelters and accepted walk-up participants when space allowed. The agency’s notice asked people to register as fosters in advance to make the walk-up process easier, while presenting the outing as a short-term activity separate from deciding whether to take a dog home.
By the end of Saturday, Best Friends reported that 395 dogs from the six city shelters had gone out, with 18 taken out more than once. The total reflects a partnership among city shelters, an animal-welfare group and residents who gave time to a dog. There is no need to make the day stand for more than it was. For the dogs who went out, it meant time beyond the kennel and a person’s attention; for the people who joined in, it was a practical way to spend time helping an animal.
Adventure Buddy Day showed how a community can make a small opening in an ordinary weekend and share it widely. Six shelters took part, and hundreds of dogs spent time beyond their usual surroundings. The central promise was fulfilled for that day: a dog and a person got to see a little more of the world together.
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