Becknutt
Well-Known Member
Pet Tales: Black Friday anything but for pets seeking homes
Thursday, November 29, 2007
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Black Friday was a very special day at Animal Friends, starting with the fact that when staff and volunteers reported to work, they found a line of visitors waiting to get into the Ohio Township shelter.
The day only got better, with a steady stream of animal lovers crowding the hallways and adoption viewing areas. By day's end the shelter had set a new record for the most adoptions in a single day.
On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, 41 animals went home for the holidays -- 34 cats, five dogs and two rabbits. There would have been more adoptions, but staff and volunteers ran out of time. The Animal Friends pre-adoption interview and screening process is time-consuming and rigorous to ensure that the pet will fit the new family's lifestyle.
Amazingly, a number of people made appointments to return on Saturday to go through that process, and an additional 18 animals were adopted.
That's 59 adoptions in two days.
The number of homeless animals in shelters and rescue organizations always outstrips the number of people who are looking to bring a new pet into their home. Yet all the shelters and rescue groups work relentlessly to find what they like to call "forever homes" for their homeless waifs.
Animal Friends came up with the perfect pitch last week.
"Don't shop -- Adopt!" said the Black Friday news release.
Many people shop till they drop on the day after Thanksgiving. The day is called Black Friday because that's when retailers traditionally start making a profit, getting out of the red ink and into the black.
Animal Friends offered a "100 percent off sale" on 28 black cats and 11 black rabbits. Their adoption fees were paid by an animal-loving donor.
Two black rabbits and 19 black cats were adopted on Black Friday. So were 15 other cats and five other dogs of various colors.
"People came in to see the black cats and rabbits, but some just fell in love" with animals that weren't on sale, said Jolen Miklas, senior marketing coordinator at Animal Friends.
Here are some of the Black Friday happy endings:
⢠Spotsie, a cat who had languished in the shelter since January, went to a new home with a woman who has three other cats;
⢠Tiny and Bluff, two cats that tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, went home together;
⢠Eclipse, a shy husky often overlooked by people looking for a more outgoing dog, found a home; and
⢠Bonita and Halsey, two Australian shepherd mixes who have lived together their entire lives, found a family with room in their hearts and in their house for both of them.
Two of the most heartwarming Black Friday stories include two shy, frightened cats who don't "present well," as they say in shelter circles, when prospective adopters stop to look at them,
Murphy, who is gray and white, "was terrified in his cage," Ms. Miklas said. "He hid in the back and he often hissed at people" which is no way to win the hearts of most prospective adopters. On Black Friday, one special family overlooked all of that and took him home.
"They called on Saturday to say that Murphy warmed up right away in his new home and he slept in bed with them," Ms. Miklas said.
A tan-and-white cat named Desert wasn't hissing, but he is shy around strangers and was beginning to show signs of depression.
A woman whose elderly cat had died recently read the bio on his cage, written by a volunteer who felt sorry for Desert and spent time with him whenever she could.
Desert was rescued from a neglect situation and didn't have a lot of experience with people who are kind to animals. The volunteer wrote that Desert likes peace and quiet. Take him away from the noise of shelter animals and visitors, and he will sit on your lap and purr. The woman visitor and her 12-year-old daughter found that the volunteer was right, and they took Desert home.
Animal Friends is a no-kill shelter that is always filled to capacity. Thanks to the Black Friday adopters, there is now room at the inn for animals that have been on the Animal Friends waiting list.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Black Friday was a very special day at Animal Friends, starting with the fact that when staff and volunteers reported to work, they found a line of visitors waiting to get into the Ohio Township shelter.
The day only got better, with a steady stream of animal lovers crowding the hallways and adoption viewing areas. By day's end the shelter had set a new record for the most adoptions in a single day.
On Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, 41 animals went home for the holidays -- 34 cats, five dogs and two rabbits. There would have been more adoptions, but staff and volunteers ran out of time. The Animal Friends pre-adoption interview and screening process is time-consuming and rigorous to ensure that the pet will fit the new family's lifestyle.
Amazingly, a number of people made appointments to return on Saturday to go through that process, and an additional 18 animals were adopted.
That's 59 adoptions in two days.
The number of homeless animals in shelters and rescue organizations always outstrips the number of people who are looking to bring a new pet into their home. Yet all the shelters and rescue groups work relentlessly to find what they like to call "forever homes" for their homeless waifs.
Animal Friends came up with the perfect pitch last week.
"Don't shop -- Adopt!" said the Black Friday news release.
Many people shop till they drop on the day after Thanksgiving. The day is called Black Friday because that's when retailers traditionally start making a profit, getting out of the red ink and into the black.
Animal Friends offered a "100 percent off sale" on 28 black cats and 11 black rabbits. Their adoption fees were paid by an animal-loving donor.
Two black rabbits and 19 black cats were adopted on Black Friday. So were 15 other cats and five other dogs of various colors.
"People came in to see the black cats and rabbits, but some just fell in love" with animals that weren't on sale, said Jolen Miklas, senior marketing coordinator at Animal Friends.
Here are some of the Black Friday happy endings:
⢠Spotsie, a cat who had languished in the shelter since January, went to a new home with a woman who has three other cats;
⢠Tiny and Bluff, two cats that tested positive for Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, went home together;
⢠Eclipse, a shy husky often overlooked by people looking for a more outgoing dog, found a home; and
⢠Bonita and Halsey, two Australian shepherd mixes who have lived together their entire lives, found a family with room in their hearts and in their house for both of them.
Two of the most heartwarming Black Friday stories include two shy, frightened cats who don't "present well," as they say in shelter circles, when prospective adopters stop to look at them,
Murphy, who is gray and white, "was terrified in his cage," Ms. Miklas said. "He hid in the back and he often hissed at people" which is no way to win the hearts of most prospective adopters. On Black Friday, one special family overlooked all of that and took him home.
"They called on Saturday to say that Murphy warmed up right away in his new home and he slept in bed with them," Ms. Miklas said.
A tan-and-white cat named Desert wasn't hissing, but he is shy around strangers and was beginning to show signs of depression.
A woman whose elderly cat had died recently read the bio on his cage, written by a volunteer who felt sorry for Desert and spent time with him whenever she could.
Desert was rescued from a neglect situation and didn't have a lot of experience with people who are kind to animals. The volunteer wrote that Desert likes peace and quiet. Take him away from the noise of shelter animals and visitors, and he will sit on your lap and purr. The woman visitor and her 12-year-old daughter found that the volunteer was right, and they took Desert home.
Animal Friends is a no-kill shelter that is always filled to capacity. Thanks to the Black Friday adopters, there is now room at the inn for animals that have been on the Animal Friends waiting list.
