It’s been a year since the Adopt Love, Adopt Local initiative kicked off with a mega-adoption animal fair at the Tucson Expo Center — all part of a community-wide effort to encourage people to adopt, instead of buy, their next dog or cat — or pig, reptile or horse.
Organizers say 2,300 people walked through the doors — with 130 animals from a variety of rescue groups finding new homes last year.
This year’s adoption fair takes place April 16, with dozens of local animal rescue groups taking part, along with pet-centric services, vendors and demonstrations. Admission and parking are free.
This will be the first year the Animal League of Green Valley, an all-volunteer, no-kill shelter is participating.
“We are hoping to get some of our bigger dogs into their forever homes by putting them perhaps in front of a different audience ... and for more people to become aware of our organization,” said Vicki Turner, the nonprofit’s dog care coordinator. They may include a couple of pit bull mixes, and a Chesapeake Bay Retriever who earned The AKC’s Canine Good Citizen certificate.
One dog’s story
Last year, Leslie Jaime walked into the Adopt Love, Adopt Local event holding the leash of the adoptable pit bull mix she and her husband, Ruben, were fostering in their home for Bridge Rescue for Dogs.
A month earlier, she and a Bridge Rescue volunteer had pulled Dice from Pima Animal Care Center with little time to spare.
He had been ill, with what turned out to be a cold, and showed aggression when placed in a kennel with another dog.
Recognizing that Dice was a good dog in a stressful situation, PACC volunteers had repeatedly shared his photo on Facebook and the county shelter kept giving him extensions.
“It pulled at the heartstrings,” said Jaime.
Dice quickly made himself at home with the couple, showing no aggression toward them or their two birds. “He became very attached,” she said of the 70-pound dog who showed a strong desire to crawl up into their laps.
Bridge Rescue also arranged for behavioral training through sol.Dog canine services.
Still, the couple continued to think of Dice as a temporary placement as they grieved the recent passing of their elderly dog. “We were still thinking it was too soon to adopt him,” Jaime said.
Adopt Love, Adopt Local was the first opportunity they—as his foster parents—had to show him to potential adopters.
Despite the crowds, Jaime said, “He was perfect.
“He came in with a tennis ball in his mouth and he had it in his mouth the whole time,” she said. “He didn’t care about all the other dogs.”
It didn’t take long before someone expressed an interest in Dice.
That’s when it hit home that the couple didn’t want to see him leave the adoption event with anyone but them. He had become part of their family.
Jaime said she was impressed that Adopt Love organizers made the adoptions special, with adopters posing for photos with their newest family member. They were also given coupons and treats and free samples of dog food. The Animal Ministry of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church also offered to bless the animals.
Because they adopted him through Bridge, the rescue group helped with training.
Bridge Rescue also sent a volunteer to do a home check for another dog adopted at the event, and talked to several potential adopters who expressed interest in others.
The event also gave exposure to the diversity of rescue groups saving lives in the Tucson area. Bridge Rescue is a nonprofit that works mainly with bully breeds and has some shepherds as well. Most of the dogs that it pulls are coming out of the shelter because they weren’t doing well in that environment and need training support.
Many of last year’s adoptions took place early in the day, prompting organizers to schedule more animals in shifts throughout the day-long event this year.
“He’s the perfect dog,” Jaime said in a recent telephone interview.
In fact, Dice settled in so well the couple agreed to foster Daisy, a young female pit bull, who had also shown aggression at PACC. “She was very scared and wouldn’t let anyone get close,” Jaime said.
Anyone adopting an animal who is coming out of a rescue should plan on being patient, she advised. “Some of them might have issues,” she said. “There’s always going to be a transition period.”
And as for Daisy? “They get along great. We ended up adopting her,” Jaime said.
Making a difference
More than 20,000 animals enter Tucson-area shelters each year.
The Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare (PAAW), an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, is working to find homes for more of them by connecting adopters with a collaboration of local shelters and rescues.
Part of the strategy is to increase spay and neuter programs to reduce numbers of unwanted animals, increase education efforts and offer low cost services in high risk areas of animal homelessness.
Last Saturday people started lining up more than an hour before a free vaccination clinic held twice a year across from Casa Maria soup kitchen in South Tucson — hundreds had turned out when it was posted on Facebook.
Most of the residents and homeless people who lined up earliest on Saturday had gotten their animals from a friend, neighbor or relative. The animals also received a basic evaluation and many owners went home with free dog food, leashes and collars if needed and a dog toy.
"Most of (the animals) are really healthy. A lot of the people put their pets before themselves," said Jen Serling with Pima Medical Institute, who serves on the Animal Welfare Alliance of Southern Arizona board.
Other volunteers included medical personnel from the Humane Society of Southern Arizona as well as veterinarians from private practice.
It was organized by Bonnie Kay, a philanthropist who views animal welfare as a social justice issue and looks for ways to provide care to drastically underserved communities. On Saturday she carried boxes and directed volunteers. Pet owners left with fliers for low cost spay and neuter clinics.
Dora Eamon was one of the few to arrive with rescue dogs - three huskies. She and her husband adopted one, Zeus, from PACC. A pit bull rescue group discovered Romeo in need of a new home, and Serena arrived when her previous owner could not longer care for her. "We feel better about rescuing," said Eamon, who was accompanied by her mom, Delia Moran. "It's better than buying a dog," she said, noting that every type of dog can be found in a rescue group.
Another PAAW initiative is creating a voucher system for transportation and vet care for homebound seniors and low income persons with pets in our community. Surveys confirmed that transportation and vet care are the two biggest worries that this population has caring for their pets.
Read more about Bonnie Kay in Sunday's Home + Life.
