The Humane Society of Harford County (HSHC) has partnered with the Hilton Garden Inn in Bel Air to give an evening of rest to a long-term shelter dog.
Roxi is an 8-year-old boxer mix who has been in the shelter since April 28, 2023, and is a staff and volunteer favorite. Volunteer John Drexler comes to the shelter to walk her multiple days a week and says, “I can’t understand why nobody has adopted this sweet dog.”
After trying different ways to promote Roxi, including swapping her with another dog from the York County SPCA in Pennsylvania to widen her reach to potential adopters, HSHC decided to try a new approach. Marketing Coordinator Erika Ponsiek got in touch with Patricia Parker, Hilton’s Director of Sales, about an idea for sleepover photos at a hotel. Parker immediately said, “Yes! Let’s do it!”
Parker, an animal lover herself who operates a neonatal kitten rescue called Frogtown Fosters, booked Roxi a room at the local Hilton Garden Inn in Bel Air. “It would be a great education piece for people that Hilton Hotels are pet friendly and travel should not be a hindrance to adoption,” she said.
Ponsiek took Roxi to the hotel with the intention of documenting of how well behaved the senior dog is in a home setting, but Roxi quickly closed her eyes and spent the majority of her time at the Hilton sound asleep. “She slept like she hasn’t slept in 337 days, which is how long she’s been in the shelter system,” Ponsiek reports. “But she demonstrated that she’s housetrained, cuddly, and quiet which are all great attributes for potential adopters to know!”
Animal shelters nationwide are packed to capacity and are struggling to find homes for dogs, and locally in Harford County, the situation is similar. To encourage dog adoptions, the shelter has created the Lonely Hearts Club, a program to help decrease the length of stay for dogs who have been at the shelter for 4 months or more. The shelter has put a package together valued at $150 that includes a free 32-lb. bag of kibble as well as a 3-month supply of flea, tick and heartworm preventative. Roxi is part of the Lonely Hearts Club.
HSHC is located at 2208 Connolly Road in Fallston or online at harfordshelter.org. The shelter is open Monday-Friday from 11-6, Saturdays from 10-5, and Sundays from 11-4.
The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 4160 Philadelphia Road in Bel Air.
About the Humane Society of Harford County
The Humane Society of Harford County, Inc., is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to the welfare and well-being of the approximately 3,300 animals that come in each year. HSHC promotes the kind treatment of homeless, stray and abandoned animals by providing shelter, care, adoptions, and community education. HSHC is not a county agency nor is it affiliated with any national or regional organization. Tax-deductible donations, bequests, and proceeds from events are crucial to HSHC’s life-saving efforts on behalf of the animals in the community.
