Every other Saturday, volunteers line up outside Kern County Animal Services, ready to give shelter dogs a day of freedom and fun through the "Streets of Bakersfield" program.The program launched in 2021 as a lifesaving, short-t erm foster initiative that allows community members to take shelter dogs on day outings. These brief escapes help calm kennel stress, unleash bottled-up energy, and showcase dogs to potential adopters, giving each animal a real shot at finding a forever home."It's a great feeling that people really want to try to help these pets that are in need," said Meghan Clark, a senior animal care worker at Kern County Animal Services who has been involved with the program since day one.The outings provide valuable information about each dog's personality and behavior, helping staff better match animals with suitable homes."It also helps us obtain information on the animals, so that way we can have a better idea of what kind of home would be best for them, or, you know, when people are looking for a specific dog, maybe we have a little bit more information that we can give them," Clark said.The program benefits both dogs and volunteers, with some participants choosing to extend their involvement beyond single-day outings."A lot of them really just want to help the animals in need, and some of them might want to continue to foster them longer than just the day or the weekend, and sometimes that will lead into a long term foster home that can help them get into a forever home as well, too," Clark said.Due to the program's success, the shelter created "Streets of Bakersfield Sleepover," which allows volunteers to keep dogs for entire weekends."I know that a lot of them can't take them home and adopt them, but at least they're out here trying to help and helping them get enrichment and stimulation," Clark said.Kern County Animal Services will hold its next "Streets of Bakersfield" event this Saturday."This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere: Download Our Free App for Apple and Android Sign Up for Our Daily E-mail Newsletter Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Instagram Subscribe to Us on YouTube ...read more read less