#CHSWalksTheDog: Southern Screams Scares with Care

Welcome to #CHSWalksTheDog, a blog series that brings together notable Charlestonians, with shelter dogs in need of a home, in iconic Lowcountry locations thanks to the talents of volunteer photographer, Heather Moran.   

In this week’s edition of #CHSWalksTheDog, we decided to visit the happy haunts and grinning ghouls at Southern Screams, Charleston’s premier haunted attraction, to show that there’s nothing scary at all about rescue dogs!

Southern Screams, which is located on the grounds of Holy City Brewing Company at 1021 Aragon Avenue in North Charleston, has decided to “scare with care” this October, by donating a portion of their proceeds to Charleston Animal Society. To thank them for their dedication to our cause, we brought along three of our longest stay dogs to give the performers a chance to see who they’re scaring for. 

Ani (10 months old, male, lab-shepherd mix), Dani (2 year old, female, bull-terrier-mix) and Frank Sinatra (1-year-old, male, American Bully) made up the fearless crew who dared to enter Southern Screams’ “Ashley Acres Asylum.” But instead of being greeted with the jump scares and haunts that usually fill the twisted hallways, they were immediately surrounded by loving pets, selfies, and baby talk. 

It’s true, even the scariest of monsters have a soft spot for dogs. The group of performers, each in their own unique asylum-themed outfits, melted over how adorable our group of fearless mutts were. In spite of the frightening appearances of their new friends, Ani, Dani, and Frank could not have been more excited to be receiving the attention they were getting. Once again, rescue dogs have been able to teach us the importance of not judging books by their covers. 

Day trips out of the shelter can provide long-time residents a break from being in a kennel, allowing them time to decompress and to be stimulated with the sights and sounds of normal life. We also hope that showcasing our longest residents in a different light – outside the shelter walls – might allow a potential adopter to become interested in them when a family sees more normal canine behaviors exhibited on a calm leash walk through the city.

Thank you to Southern Screams for welcoming our dogs into their haunted home with open arms and giving back to the animals of their community. You can purchase tickets to support Charleston Animal Society and learn more at SouthernScreams.com. 

If you are interested in adopting, throughout the month of October, adoption fees have been waived for all dogs aged one-year and older. Learn more at CharlestonAnimalSociety.org/Adopt.

If you are a Charlestonian influencer or business who would like to take part in a future edition of #CHSWalksTheDog, please email Will Howell, Digital Marketing Manager, at whowell@charlestonanimalsociety.org today!