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Lobo was one of nine shelter dogs adopted at Shelby Huamane Society’s first adoption event since COVID-19 began. (Contributed)

By ROBYN JAMES | Special to the Reporter

HOOVER – The famous quote that dogs can speak, but only to those who know how to listen proved true for the 21 dogs who participated in Shelby Humane Society’s Adoption event at Veteran’s Park in Hoover this past Saturday, June27.

Imagine what was going through the dogs minds when the staff and volunteers said “come on load up pups, load up and let’s go to the park!”

The dogs carefully selected to attend this special event were one to eight years old, all very adoptable, adorable, and very excited to find their new forever home.

“This particular event was amazing for the dogs, staff, 12 volunteers, and families who participated. At the end of the day, nine of our dogs were adopted and found their forever homes which is a huge success, said Ryan Ahrendt, Volunteer Coordinator for Shelby Humane. “We have seen an increase in animal surrenders during the COVID-19 pandemic, but we have also seen a lot of support and advocacy from the community which has made a tremendous impact even with the existing challenges of the pandemic.”

Shelby Humane has launched many innovations that have proven successful, including with their volunteer program. Anyone wanting to volunteer their time and be involved in their mission now has over 20 very unique and different opportunities to serve.

A recent example saw a few local residents mastered in gardening reach out to the shelter to see how they could help. After meeting with the staff and volunteers, they came up with the idea to create 2-by-4 wooden “sniff” boxes that are filled with good smelling herbs and flowers for the dogs to enjoy while playing in the yard.

“For me the event gave me a lot of hope that, although we have been going through hard times, we are all still in this together,” volunteer Kayla McCormick said. “We had more volunteers than we have seen in past events to make sure our furry friends got the perfect homes that they deserved.”

Mavis Smith, who helped out said the preparation and teamwork was fabulous and learned so much by asking questions and it seemed to be a flawless operation.

“I had a lot of fun at the Adoption event,” volunteer Lee Angela Garate said. “There were many happy moments with lots of tail wags and smiles seeing families adopt their pets including Cayenne, a “long-term” adoptable dog that was able to be on her leash in the park to show her true spirit and fun personality.”

Shelby Humane is planning several events this summer for anyone wanting to meet their forever pet or volunteer their time to this cause.

The next adoption event will be held on Saturday, July 11, and there will be a low cost vaccine clinic held at Humane Society building Saturday, June 27, which will be on a first come first serve basis.

Individuals needing to vaccinate their pet can simply drive up, park their car, and the staff and volunteers will come to your vehicle, making it easy to get your pet vaccinated at a very low cost.

This year has been a special challenge, but the quote rings true that animals have a special way of finding the people who need them and fill an emptiness we didn’t even know we had.

Shelby Humane may just be that special place to visit to bring more joy to our life through service to others and to meet our new forever friend.

You can get more information by visiting their website at www.shelbyhumane.org or calling their office at (205) 669-3916.

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