Like to join Hiking Hounds? Email us at ahshikinghounds@outlook.com. Hikers must sign up prior to joining a hike. You must be able to hike 3-4 miles.

Volunteers take shelter dogs out on hikes on the weekends as part of the Asheville Humane Society enrichment programming. If you love the great outdoors and dogs, this is a perfect volunteer opportunity for you.

Hiking Hounds was started in 2007 by Jenny White, an AHS volunteer who is a co-founder of Pet Behavior Aid and the owner of Dog-Ed, a dog training service. "I thought it would be so much fun to take the shelter pups into the woods for hikes instead of on pavement and around buildings," Jenny says. "After all, we live in such a beautiful area and we're so close to the forest. I also thought it would be a great way to attract new volunteers. I spoke with Jim Fulton about the idea, and he provided the support and encouragement to get the ball rolling."

Today, Hiking Hounds operates two Sundays per month all year round. Ten volunteers take ten dogs for each hike and do 3 or 4 miles in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest for a few hours. They make stops along the way that include water/treat breaks and some belly rubs.

Jenny leads one hike a month and Bill and Linda Brown lead one hike a month. Several volunteers come consistently month after month, but the group always welcomes new members. In fact, the goal this year is to offer a hike every Sunday, so they are looking for more hikers. Participants need not be involved in other volunteer activities, but they do need to be able to hike 3 to 4 miles (sometimes strenuous), carrying a backpack and having a dog earerly pulling for about two hours!

"Hiking Hounds is a program that benefits many," says Jenny. "The dogs get a break from the shelter for a few hours. It is so wonderful to see a dog who might have been depressed at the shelter light up when she gets a whiff of the woods. And it benefits volunteers who have difficulty volunteering because they want to take everyone at the shelter home. It benefits the staff because they get a break from caregiving so they can focus on other tasks. We also give them pertinent information discovered about the dogs that will help them find their forever homes. Everyone wins!"