AN OTTUMWA MAN IS HOPING TO WALK 150 MILES WITH RESCUE DOGS THIS SUMMER IN AN EFFORT TO FIND THEM LOVING HOMES. KCCI ABIGAIL CURTIN TALKED WITH HIM ABOUT HOW HE GOT STARTED AND HOW IT’S HELPING A SHELTER IN DESPERATE NEED. IT ISN’T A GLAMOROUS JOB. SOMETIMES IT’S GETTING JUMPED ON. COME ON, TOBY. SOMETIMES IT’S HAVING TO TUG THE LEASH BACK, AND SOMETIMES IT’S JUST A WHOLE LOT OF DOG HAIR. BUT THAT’S EXACTLY HOW BRETT SHEPHERD SPENDS HIS DAYS. PROBABLY LIKE 15 DOGS OR 20. AND THEN I’M AT, LIKE, 22 MILES SO FAR. HE’S A DOG WALKER BY TRADE, A DOG WALKER AT HOME, AND A VOLUNTEER DOG WALKER AT THE HEARTLAND HUMANE SOCIETY. THIS SUMMER, HE’S HOPING TO WALK 150 MILES WITH AS MANY OF THEIR DOGS AS POSSIBLE. THEY’RE JUST HAPPY. I MEAN, THEY’RE JUST HAPPY TO GET OUT. I MEAN, I MEAN, IT’S HARD NOT TO FEEL GOOD WHEN YOU JUST SEE A DOG. THAT’S EXCITED AND JUST HAPPY TO BE AROUND SOMEONE. THERE’S CURRENTLY OVER 120 DOGS IN THE HEARTLAND HUMANE SOCIETY’S CARE. THEY’RE SO FULL THEY CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE IN. BUT FOR THE PUPS, THEY’RE. THESE WALKS ARE THE HIGHLIGHT OF THEIR DAY. EACH DOG GETS FED WATER AND TAKEN OUT TO THE BATHROOM EVERY DAY. HOWEVER, BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY DOGS HERE, IT’S RARE THAT THEY’RE ABLE TO GET MORE THAN JUST THE BARE NECESSITIES. COME ON, TOBY. LET’S GO. BUT WITH EVERY WALK COMES A POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, A QUICK SNAPSHOT AT WHO THE DOGS ARE OUTSIDE OF THE SHELTER, HOW THEY DO ON A LEASH WITH OTHER DOGS AND PEOPLE. INVALUABLE INFORMATION FOR THE TEAM, TRYING TO FIND THEM. HOMES. PICTURES ONLY DO SO MUCH. SO YOU KNOW WE CAN POST PICTURES ALL DAY, BUT UNTIL EITHER YOU COME IN HERE OR YOU SEE EVEN A VIDEO OF HOW THEY ACT, IT’S LIKE TWO DIFFERENT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. HIS GOAL IS TO TRY AND GET AS MANY OF THEM ADOPTED AS POSSIBLE. HE’S EVEN OFFERING THE FIRST WALK FREE THROUGH HIS BUSINESS TO ANYONE THAT TAKES A DOG HOME. THANK YOU. BUT HE ALSO HOPES OTHERS WILL SEE JUST HOW EASY IT IS TO TAKE A DOG FOR A 15 OR 20 MINUTE WALK, AND WHETHER IT’S ON A LUNCH BREAK OR SUMMER BREAK, HE HOPES OTHERS WILL LEND THEIR LEGS AND LEASH TO MAKE A
Man walking 150 miles with shelter dogs to help them find homes
For about three hours every day, you can find Bret Shepard with a leash in his hand, a pet first aid kit strapped to his belt, and a smile on his face. As the owner of Lucky’s Dog Walks in Ottumwa, Iowa, he’s usually walking his own dogs or one of his clients’. But this summer, he wanted to try something a little different.”And then I’m at, like, 22 miles so far,” Shepherd said. “Probably like 15 dogs or 20.”Throughout June and July, he’s working to take as many of the Heartland Humane Society’s dogs for walks as possible.His goal? 150 miles.”They’re just happy to get out. I mean, it’s hard not to feel good when you see a dog that’s excited and just happy to be around someone,” he said, petting Toby, one of the dogs he took out for a walk on Friday.The Heartland Humane Society currently cares for more than 120 dogs, and the shelter is so full it cannot take in any more. For the dogs there, these walks are often the highlight of their day. Due to the high number of animals, assistant manager Courtney Monohon says they rarely receive more than the bare necessities. “It’s chaotic here. It is never quiet. It’s never super relaxing. So getting them out of here, even just for a 10, 15-minute walk, just gets them away, lets them chill,” she said.With every walk, Shepherd posts updates on social media, sharing snapshots of the dogs outside the shelter. These posts offer valuable insights into how the dogs behave on a leash, interact with other dogs, and respond to people — information that helps the shelter team find them suitable homes. “Pictures only do so much. So, you know, we can post pictures all day, but until either you come in here or you see even a video of how they act, it’s like two different, two different things,” Monohon said.Shepherd hopes his efforts will lead to more adoptions. Through his business, he’s even offering the first walk free to anyone who adopts a dog from the shelter. He also wants to inspire others to see how easy it is to make a difference by taking a dog for a short walk, whether during a lunch break or summer vacation.
For about three hours every day, you can find Bret Shepard with a leash in his hand, a pet first aid kit strapped to his belt, and a smile on his face.
As the owner of Lucky’s Dog Walks in Ottumwa, Iowa, he’s usually walking his own dogs or one of his clients’. But this summer, he wanted to try something a little different.
“And then I’m at, like, 22 miles so far,” Shepherd said. “Probably like 15 dogs or 20.”
Throughout June and July, he’s working to take as many of the Heartland Humane Society’s dogs for walks as possible.
His goal? 150 miles.
“They’re just happy to get out. I mean, it’s hard not to feel good when you see a dog that’s excited and just happy to be around someone,” he said, petting Toby, one of the dogs he took out for a walk on Friday.
The Heartland Humane Society currently cares for more than 120 dogs, and the shelter is so full it cannot take in any more. For the dogs there, these walks are often the highlight of their day. Due to the high number of animals, assistant manager Courtney Monohon says they rarely receive more than the bare necessities.
“It’s chaotic here. It is never quiet. It’s never super relaxing. So getting them out of here, even just for a 10, 15-minute walk, just gets them away, lets them chill,” she said.
With every walk, Shepherd posts updates on social media, sharing snapshots of the dogs outside the shelter. These posts offer valuable insights into how the dogs behave on a leash, interact with other dogs, and respond to people — information that helps the shelter team find them suitable homes.
“Pictures only do so much. So, you know, we can post pictures all day, but until either you come in here or you see even a video of how they act, it’s like two different, two different things,” Monohon said.
Shepherd hopes his efforts will lead to more adoptions. Through his business, he’s even offering the first walk free to anyone who adopts a dog from the shelter.
He also wants to inspire others to see how easy it is to make a difference by taking a dog for a short walk, whether during a lunch break or summer vacation.
