These Dogs Need You

One hundred and twenty five dogs are up for adoption this weekend at T.A.I.L.S.' Pet Fest event at Best Friends Pet Care in Norwalk. The Pet Fest, which began today, continues from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The event was coordinated between T.A.I.L.S., a local pet spaying group, and the Colbert Veterinary Rescue in Colbert, Ga. Colbert recently saved 31 dogs from a kill shelter which was condemned and ordered by the state to euthanize 100 of its 150 dogs. Colbert brought most of those saved dogs along with dozens of puppies and drove 21 hours to Connecticut in a horse trailer.

In addition to the canines, the local groups Strays & Others and Operation Spay brought 28 cats in search of new homes. Jennifer's Little Critter Rescue brought a handful of guinea pigs and an 8-week old bunny. 

T.A.I.L.S. held a similar event last January, in which Colbert brought nearly 100 dogs from Georgia. It was successful, with 88 adopted during the weekend. Eleven went into local foster care and ten of the foster families decided to keep their animal. The final dog found a permanent home as well.

Today got off to a slower start. By noon, only two dogs had been adopted. Volunteers were concerned that attendance was considerably lower than it was in January.

"A lot of these dogs were found tied to dumpsters or in dumpsters. But they're great dogs," says Dorrie Harris, the organizer of the event. "They're vetted, spayed or neutered, treated for heartworm and micro-chipped. What we want to show people is that 4 to 5 million dogs are put down every year and there's nothing wrong with them. Usually, people have surrendered them because of a move or a job loss." They're not necessarily mutts, either. Thirty five percent of dogs in shelters are purebred.

Most of the dogs at Pet Fest this weekend are smaller breeds, like beagles, spaniels and bassets which are harder to find in Connecticut. "We have a demand here, and a supply in the South," says Harris.

While the North Shore Animal League will take two dozen dogs if they're not adopted by Sunday afternoon, the rest will be retuned to the south where they face an uncertain fate.

For more information and to find out more about specific dogs available for adoption, visit www.tailsct.org or call 203/222-1992.