Today I was so very privileged to assist at a Labs 4 Rescue Adoption event, held at our very own training center, The Mellow Mutt.

Labs 4 Rescue and The Mellow Mutt did an incredible job of advertising the event and we had a HUGE turnout.

Sara had set up some of the agility equipment just in case anyone wanted to work with a dog.  I found that most of the foster parents really hung onto their dogs though. 🙂  I mentioned to Ann after that I would have liked to see the dogs off leash running around and checking people out.  The room is a great size for it and with the gates and fencing I think we could keep the dogs safe.

Having never participated in an adoption event before I guess I really didn’t give much thought to how it would work.

A couple of people looking for companions for their dogs actually brought their own dogs.  This is not usually advised, but we figured out a way to work with it.   The Mellow Mutt has two rooms, so we were able to keep the potential adoptees in one room, and used the other room to introduce a couple of dogs.

It didn’t dawn on me that people wouldn’t actually be able to take dogs home with them today.  I completely forgot about the application process and the required home visit.

We had one lady that tried really hard to take a dog home today.  She ended up turning a lot of people off with her pushiness.  So much so that I volunteered to do her home visit. 🙂 I’ll just let you guess how that one would turn out.

Since I’m not officially with the rescue, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do, but I did chat up people and try to encourage them towards certain dogs.

I was really worried about one little labbie in particular, she was a little chocolate girl named Hazel.

They say Hazel is four, but she already has some white around her chin.  She gets along with some dogs, but not all.  She does not like cats and they do not recommend she go to a home with small children. Hazel was in a house with small children that were not taught the proper way to behave with a dog.

One of the Labs 4 Rescue volunteers had Hazel in the front room away from the other dogs.   She is such a beautiful girl and so wonderfully sweet, but I could see the worry in her eyes.  My heart was heavy because I thought, “They’re never going to be able to place a reactive dog.”  I spent time with Hazel and could tell what a sweetheart she was and towards the end of the event, a family came in looking for a dog.  As they exited the large room I asked the teenage daughter which dogs she was interested in, she mentioned two and one of them was Hazel.  I got super excited and the Labs 4 Rescue volunteer asked if they wanted to take her for a walk and they did!  I have such hope in my heart that Hazel has found her forever home.

Hubby and I had discussed the event before hand and we were both on the same page about me bringing another dog into the pack.  We agreed it is not the right time for us, but if could have, Hazel would have been the one. 🙂

I did take some pictures but there were so many dogs I can’t remember all their names, so I’ll just put up the ones I do remember!

Sara really fell in love with Cozie.

Cozie is a yellow lab about 5 years old.  Ann said she is having a hard time finding a home for Cozie.  About a half hour before the event ended a couple of kids in their late teens or early twenties came in.  Cozie was the first one they saw and Cozie fell hard for the girl.  As they were leaving the girl said just last night her mom had mentioned they needed a dog and they just happened to be driving by and saw the sign.  They thought Cozie would be perfect.  I told them to go home and fill out the paperwork. 😉

I don’t think there was a dog there today that someone didn’t express an interest in, even the black ones. 🙂  I’ve asked Ann to let me know how many applications they received for the dogs that were at the adoption event today and I will let you know.

 

 

 

Can you imagine if all the dogs at the event found their forever homes today?