Humane Society of Polk County Finds Homes For More Than 50 Pets At Adoption Event
by James Coulter
More than 50 shelter dogs and cats received forever homes upon being adopted from the Polk County Humane Society during the Tri-MEGA Adoption Event on Saturday.
The Polk County Humane Society partnered with SPCA Florida and Polk County Animal Control to offer pets for adoption for only $20. Both SPCA Florida and Polk County Animal Control hosted their first mega adoption event last year at the RP Funding Center, where they adopted more than 500 pets, said Lisa Baker, Executive Director for the Humane Society.
This year, the Humane Society adopted most of their animals, with 52 pets being adopted and 10 foster animals receiving families, Baker said.
“We were hoping to find forever homes for as many animals as possible,” she said. “We were able to adopt out all but 3 dogs and a handful of kittens who were just surrendered to the facility and were still trying to get adjusted to their new surroundings.”
Due to COVID-19, the Humane Society only permitted one potential family at a time to visit the facility by appointment. These families were able to visit the facility throughout the week and adopt their selected animals at the special adoption price for the event, Baker explained.
“We decided it was best not to bring that many people into one large area at one time to promote social distancing,” he said.
Assisting with the event during that time was Dr. Vargas at Orchid Springs Animal Hospital and Dr. Watts at Heart of Florida Animal Hospital. Both local veterinarians were able to generously provide their time and support towards assisting the facility in adopting pets.
During the adoption event, the Humane Society received many encouraging comments about the animals being adopted, commending the facility for its efforts towards providing needy pets with forever homes.
“So many dogs needed homes and people stepped up and adopted them,” one comment read. “Now every dog [has] a wonderful life!!”
“I hope they all find new homes,” another wrote. “Please someone take them home!”
The COVID-19 crisis has affected the facility, as adoptions have been slow but steady, Baker explained. They have also had difficulty in getting their animals spayed and neutered, she said.
“We have had many requests from families unable to feed their pets for assistance with pet food,” she also mentioned. “I’m very happy to say that we have so far been able to meet that need…So if you are able to and would like to donate pet food and litter we can definitely use those donations.”
