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Salt Lake City “Adopt for Life” Super Adoption Breaks Records

May 22, 2009, 12:47PM MT

By Jennifer S Hayes

More than 425 dogs and cats are placed in forever homes.

More than 425 dogs and cats are placed in forever homes.

By Cathy Scott, Best Friends staff

For former homeless cats Aubrey, Lester and Christopher, a recent weekend in Salt Lake City was life-changing. They were among 427 cats and dogs who were placed in forever homes at the “Adopt for Life” Super Adoption sponsored by No More Homeless Pets in Utah in partnership with PetSmart Charities.

Even rain didn’t stop people from adopting and turning the weekend into a successful event for pets, according to Gregory Castle, a Best Friends Animal Society co-founder and board president for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. “This was despite some torrential downpours on Saturday,” he says.

On the first day of the three-day happening, potential adopters waited in a long line that wrapped around a Salt Lake City PetSmart parking lot, so they could meet pets like Aubrey.

Rescued from a local shelter, life for Aubrey hasn’t always been easy. She’s missing her tail and a back leg, plus she has skin allergies. “Despite everything she’s been through, Aubrey loves people,” says Erin Fell, program director for No More Homeless Pets in Utah. A family agreed with Erin and took Aubrey home with them.

Lester was found living with a feral cat colony, “but [it] turns out this tattered sweetheart is not feral at all but, rather, lost or abandoned,” Fell says. Lester was also adopted at the event.

For Christopher, a mild limp is the only remaining sign from when the small tabby was hit by a car. Jonny Woodward, NMHP in Utah’s feral cat coordinator, was out on a cold December night in 2008 when he noticed a cat sitting all alone on an icy sidewalk near a busy intersection. The cat was in shock with a front let injury. Woodward “gently lifted the little cat,” Fell says. “Too badly injured to struggle, the small tabby curled into the warmth of Jonny’s coat.”

After medical care and TLC, Christopher survived and was put up for adoption. He was included in the “Adopt for Life” event’s 151 cats and 276 dogs who found homes that weekend.

The Super Adoption was a record-breaking one, with 20 rescue groups and shelters participating and seven more pets adopted out than at last year’s event. “The Adopt for Life Pet Super Adoption was amazingly successful,” Fell says.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:
• For more information about No More Homeless Pets in Utah and how you can support their life-saving work, please see their website.

• Be sure to sign up to participate in the No More Homeless Pets in Utah Strut Your Mutt fundraiser:

Date: Saturday, May 30
Time: 9:15 a.m. (registration starts at 8:00 a.m.)
Place: Sugar House Park
2100 South 1300 East
Salt Lake City, Utah
(map to location)

For more information:
• Want to learn how to host your own Super Adoption event? Please read the Super Adoption: Finding Homes for Hundreds at a Time document.

Photos courtesy of No More Homeless Pets in Utah
Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff

Comments

Posted May 26, 2009, 7:44PM by GeorgeBailey47

Way to go Salt Lake City!

Great job everyone!

Posted May 23, 2009, 11:54AM by tigifred

I volunteered two days for this event, it was a blast. The attendees and volunteers didn't seem to bothered by the teeming rain. It was a little bit of a drag having to shovel out wet sawdust from all of the runs and try to keep the dogs dry, and it was definitely shocking and a little bit entertaining when water would build up and cascade over the sides of the tents to some poor unsuspecting individual standing underneath (I was one!). But, we all had a ball, and we got to see some very deserving doggies and kitties find their families. Very heartwarming. Bravo to my friends at No More Homeless Pets for flawlessly organizing another fun event, and thanks to all of the shelters and volunteers for coming out to make this such a success.

Can't wait for Strutt!

Posted May 22, 2009, 3:20PM by jbandk9s

Wow, that is nothing short of incredible. Way to go, people of Salt Lake City! May God bless each and every person who took a new family member into their home. The pictures are darling and the stories made me cry. I am so grateful to each human who helped get so many sweet critters to new families - WAY TO GO! Standing ovation!

Posted May 24, 2009, 2:1PM by marys

Bless these terrific volunteers and workers!! Horray for these wonderful pets and adopters! I wonder if any of them realize just what a crucial impact they have made in all these precious lives. Go Salt Lake City!!!!

Posted May 22, 2009, 8:11PM by Marion

Rain is good for a Super Adoption in Salt Lake it seems, especially for the cats. I remember one Spring Super Adoption when it rained and rained and rained. The water was running under the tent and all of us had wet feet. (The next spring we had sand bags to keep the water out) Even with the wet floor the Cat tent was a very popular place to be.

It was so cold many of the volunteers helped keep the cats warm under our coats. The cats, bless them, helped us keep warm too. :-)

I can't remember the numbers that year, but I do remember that we made our goal and kept right on going.

Great Job, Salt Lake, and NMHPU.