When Sable McGovern picked up Charlie, a 9-year-old German Shepherd Husky mix, he was a bundle of nerves. As she led him out of Anchorage Animal Care and Control, he was panting hard and spinning in anxious circles.
But only 10 minutes later, on a trail in Far North Bicentennial Park, Charlie seemed like a completely different dog. He calmly trotted in front of McGovern, wagging his tail and sniffing plants.
“As soon as you get on the trail, he's like the perfect gentleman. He never leaves my knee. And if I kiss, he’ll look back at me,” McGovern said.
McGovern is a volunteer with Tails on Trails, a program the shelter launched this spring to get dogs out of their kennels and into the community. The idea is simple: give volunteers up to 48 hours of quality time with a dog, whether that’s going running, hiking or just sitting on the couch and watching a movie.
Joel Jorgensen, community outreach manager, said the program is already having a big impact on the shelter, the volunteers and, most importantly, the dogs. They’re noticeably happier, he said.
“We had this dog, Bristle, who did get adopted. She was a very chunky husky, but I know specifically they came back and they were kind of all ashamed, but they said they gave her a cheeseburger,” Jorgensen said. “I don’t think I’ve seen a dog smile more coming back from one of our programs.”
Dogs are also getting adopted faster, he said. Getting out on the trails — or getting a cheeseburger with a local family — helps them release pent-up energy, making them calmer and better behaved.
“They're more in a state they would be at if they were living in a home, versus just being cooped up all day, and I think that’s the biggest relief on our end, is that it’s good for the dogs, it’s good for the people adopting them, and it’s helping animals get out the door a lot faster,” Jorgensen said.
It’s good for the volunteers, too. Jorgensen said that only a few months in, the shelter has already gotten upwards of 400 applications from people who want to volunteer, and they’re still coming in.

McGovern, following Charlie down the trail, said she knew right away that the program was for her. She had to put her own dog down last year, and although she didn’t really have the capacity to get another pet, she still felt a big hole in her life. Then she saw an announcement from the animal shelter.
“They introduced the Tails on Trails campaign, and immediately I was like, ‘Oh, that's for me,’” McGovern said.
She usually takes the shelter dogs on long walks on Anchorage’s trail system, or she’ll bring them home for a bubble bath and a few extra treats. No matter the outing, she feels like she’s doing herself and the dogs some good.
“I feel like I could go home and sit on my phone, or I could go home and watch a TV show or something. Or I could make this dog's entire day and let it go outside and let her run around and meet people and look at bears and jump in the river,” McGovern said. “I don't know. Everyone deserves second chances.”
McGovern said it’s hard to return the dogs to the shelter at the end of the day, and that weighs on her. She can see that it makes a difference, though, and that’s what keeps her coming back. She compared it to a story about a boy walking down a beach with hundreds of stranded starfish, throwing them back into the ocean, one at a time.
“And it's like, well, it's not going to save all the starfish, but it's going to save the starfish you just chucked back in, so I don't know,” she said. “It's good. It's good.”
McGovern said she plans to keep walking dogs with Tails on Trails year-round. Until maybe, one day, she’s ready to take one home for good.
The shelter is still accepting applications for Tails on Trails, and they’re looking for volunteers who are willing to take dogs out, even when the weather starts getting colder. You can apply in person at the shelter or contact them at accs@anchorageak.gov.