North Beach PAWS recently held a pop-up puppy adoption event at Montesano Farm & Home in Montesano. Five of the eleven puppies presented for adoption found forever homes.
In recent months North Beach PAWS has been engaging in an ever-widening community outreach effort to raise awareness regarding adoptable animals who need loving homes amid a nationwide shelter crisis.
According to North Beach PAWS Dog Shelter Manager Nanette Sparrow, outreach like this pop-up-puppy adoption event is critical to the shelter, the animals, and prospective pet owners.
“It is essential. Anything we can do to encourage people to adopt and not buy puppies helps to encourage others to spay and neuter their pets. Adoption fees may seem high but if you consider the cost to spay/neuter, vaccinate, and microchip, it is much cheaper to adopt than to pay for vet care for a free puppy,” Nanette Sparrow said. “Off-site events allow potential adopters to meet dogs in a less stressful, more relaxed, and natural environment. This helps to foster a connection with the animals that potential adopters may not feel in a shelter setting.”
Community outreach also allows North Beach PAWS to bring adoptable pets to potential adopters, which may be more convenient.
“Bringing adoptable animals into the community helps prospective pet owners make a connection with an animal they may not have encountered otherwise,” Sparrow said. “Seeing animals in person can dispel misconceptions and stereotypes about shelter pets. Also, it allows people to meet shelter animals they might not have considered.”
The dogs made available for adoption were chosen specifically for this event.
“Puppies are most adoptable at two to three months of age when they're in the cute puppy stage. We have a short window of time to match puppies with adopters,” Sparrow said. “Once a puppy is older it is much harder to adopt them out and they may stay at the shelter for months waiting for a home.”
The venue for this event, Montesano Farm & Home, is also one of the sites for one of five scheduled North Beach PAWS vaccination clinics on July 14. North Beach PAWS plans to hold more pop-up adoption events in the near future.