The Maui Humane Society is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the welfare of animals on the island of Maui. They provide a variety of services, including adoption, spay and neuter programs, and education and outreach programs to help promote the humane treatment of animals. If you are interested in adopting a pet, volunteering, or supporting the Maui Humane Society in any way, you can visit their website to learn more. https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/
We obviously love cats at Kihei Rent A Car (an updated KRAC cat colony blog will be posted in the near future). However, we love dogs just as much as cats. And we wanted to share with our canine loving customers that there is a fun way to spend time with dogs and help our local animal shelter at the same time while on vacation.
Beach Buddies Program
The Maui Humane Society has worked diligently to create programs that provide enrichment for their shelter dogs while giving visitors and kama’āina a wonderful dog adventure!
Maui Humane Society offers a wonderful program for Maui visitors to take a dog out for a day!
The Beach Buddies Program allows visitors (and kama’āina) to take a shelter dog out for a day of fun every day from 11am – 4pm.
The Beach Buddies program is oriented towards visitors and is on Wednesday’s & Friday’s.
After you sign up here https://calendly.com/mhsbeachbuddies, arrive at 10:45am on your selected day for a brief introduction. Then, it’s off on your adventure to the cooler temperatures of Upcountry to explore forested hikes or to splash around on the beach, grab a picnic lunch or even take a ride to a drive-thru!
*You must be 18 years or older to sign up.*
How Does Beach Buddies Work?
Sign up using the link above and select your preferred Beach Buddies date on the calendar. Maui Humane Society releases the calendar dates 90 days in advance. There are three spots available on each Beach Buddies date. You will receive a request for confirmation of your attendance a day or two before your outing by email and/or phone. They MUST receive confirmation from you before 5:00pm the day before your scheduled outing.
The Day of Your Outing…
Please arrive promptly at the shelter to allow the brief introduction to commence at 10:45am so they can get you on the road by 11am! You’ll be given an overview of the day and they’ll run through a few procedural items. The staff will be pairing you up with a dog based on your dog handling experience and desired activity level. You can drop the dog off any time before 3:00pm.
What to Expect
Your Beach Buddy will be ready to head out for their adventure after the 10:45am briefing. You’ll get a backpack full of supplies to accompany your pup! Your backpack will include: an info card with emergency phone number, a Beach Buddies Google Map, and a list of recommended destinations; a water bottle; bowl; towel; treats; poop bags; and a seatbelt.
There is a minimum $50 donation required to participate in Beach Buddies, if you love your experience and wish to support homeless animals, additional donations are greatly appreciated. They offer a 10% discount on logo wear retail items including Beach Buddies tees, tanks and stickers.
TIP: There are several other fantastic animal shelters and sanctuaries on Maui. Two of our favorites are Leilani Farm Sanctuary and The Boo Boo Zoo (East Maui Animal Refuge). Both are located on the north shore of Maui in Haiku.
TIP TWO: To avoid getting the seats in your rental car wet and sandy or dirty, put a beach towel down before letting your canine buddy in the back seat. If you do get some sand or dirt in the car just take it to the nearby Chevron gas station to do a quick vacuum out. MAHALO!
