With the holiday season in full swing, The Animal Orphanage is finding ways to spread goodwill to not only people, but also those four-legged friends. Currently, the shelter is gearing up for its annual Holiday Open House.
The open house will be held at The Animal Orphanage, located on 419 Cooper Road, on Saturday, Dec. 7 from noon to 3 p.m. and will give families a chance to find a potential furry family member to adopt.
“It’s during the holiday season, so it gives people an opportunity to browse our shelter,” shelter director Christine Todd said.
With the shelter currently at full capacity, those in attendance will be able to see more than 65 dogs and 50 cats.
“Our cat room is full, and we have a lot of kittens as well,” Todd said.
Todd said during this time of year, the shelter usually sees an influx of strays. She added that although the shelter is currently trying to adopt out some of its animal orphans, the shelter also recently sent out tips on how to find a lost dog in the shelter’s newsletter.
“You’d be surprised that people don’t know what to do,” she said.
In addition to opening the doors, The Animal Orphanage’s Holiday Open House will feature an “Ask the Vet” segment with Dr. Mark Rosenberg, who will also be offering pet micro chipping for $25 with all proceeds going directly to the shelter’s emergency medical fund.
Light refreshments will also be served, including hot chocolate and coffee.
During the event, families will be able to view orphans, who include dogs such as chocolate pit-bull terrier Brenda and young American Bulldog Pinkey. Cats will also be up for adoption, including young Calico Madeline and Gus.
Todd added that while the shelter does use Petfinder to list all their available adoptees, recent technical difficulties have made it challenging for the shelter to post new arrivals, such as the shelter’s litter of 11 pit-bill mix puppies, affectionately dubbed the “holiday hounds.”
“It’s just a way to showcase our animals,” Todd said.
In addition, Todd said the event would help the shelter “restock their shelves” and help to collect items on their holiday wish list.
“People are very generous, donating everything and anything on our wish list,” Todd said.
Items on the wish list include liquid dish detergent, non-clumping cat litter, Pedigree dog food, and toys and treats for both cats and dogs.
A complete list of items on the holiday wish list is available on The Animal Orphange’s website. In addition, the shelter also has a wish list posted on Amazon, which gives people the opportunity to purchase products the shelter needs to be shipped to the Animal Orphanage.
Todd added that while the shelter does not offer same-day adoptions, all applications submitted during the open
house event would be processed starting the day after the event.
“We have a lot of help on hand to process that day,” Todd said.
For more information, please visit The Animal Orphanage website at www.theanimalorphanage.org or call 627–9111.
