Mega-adoption animal fair launches in Tucson Saturday

Adopt Love, Adopt Local is an initiative that Tucsonans are going to start noticing in the coming weeks and months. It’s part of a community-wide effort to encourage people to adopt, instead of buy, their next dog or cat — or horse, pig or reptile.

More than 30,000 pets enter Tucson-area shelters each year. The Pima Alliance for Animal Welfare (PAAW), an initiative of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, is working to find homes for more of them by connecting adopters with a collaboration of local shelters and rescues.

Adopt Love, Adopt Local kicks off Saturday with a mega adoption animal fair at the Tucson Expo Center. Thousands of people are expected to attend what organizers hope becomes an annual event — with at least a couple hundred animals finding loving, forever homes.

Admission is free, with dozens of local animal rescue groups taking part, along with petcentric vendors, entertainment and demonstrations.

It will be an excellent time to adopt, said Barbara Brown, the foundation’s vice president of program services and community initiatives.

Every adoptable animal will have been spayed or neutered. Adoption fees will vary by rescue organization.

“You can talk to people who work with the animal so they can really help you determine if this is the best animal for you and your lifestyle, which is really neat,” Brown said.

There will also be trainers, veterinarians and breed experts on hand to answer questions, she said.

To up the fun, there will be gift baskets for the first cat and dog adopted (along with other adoption milestones), along with goodie bags to support the animal’s care. St. Mark’s Animal Ministry Team will also be on hand to bless the animals.

Because of noise and space constraints, organizers ask that potential adopters not bring their own animals to the Expo Center to meet a prospective new family member. Instead, they can speak with the animal’s rescue group to arrange a meet-and-greet sometime after the event.

Even animal lovers not looking to adopt will find a lot to do and watch, Brown said, citing demonstrations that will include herding, police work and canine dancing. The event will close with the wedding of two adoptable greyhounds.

The idea is to show people how much animals add to their lives, and that there are really a lot of animals out there with a lot to offer, she said.

Kristen Nelson, a Scottsdale-based veterinarian who has written two books, will speak and later answer questions in an “Ask the Expert” booth. A Summit Hut rep will also field questions on how to safely take your dog hiking and pet-friendly places to explore.

Other highlights include dog photographer Ted Hewitt, who volunteers at Pima Animal Care Center, offering suggestions on how to best capture your pet’s personality.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum will be on hand to talk about tortoise adoption, and folks from the Saguaro National Monument will talk about native critters.

Best Friends Animal Society will have a booth to talk about the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program in Pima County.

While volunteers have been spreading the word about the adoption fair in all corners of Pima County, Brown said there is already an increased awareness about the importance of helping the community’s homeless animals. Last fall, voters’ handily approved a $22 million bond to build a larger and more modern animal shelter as the county moves toward an adoption-friendly, no-kill approach.

The Humane Society of Southern Arizona is also in the midst of a $10 million capital campaign to build and move to a larger facility, she noted.

Brown knows as well as anyone the benefits that come from opening your home to an animal in need — her household includes rescued dogs, along with a couple of rescued cats, tortoises and box turtles. “They’re living a really great life,” she said with a smile.

Bob and Laurita Lipsy weren’t looking for another dog until they volunteered to walk a couple at the Pima Animal Care Center.

They had joined other family members at the shelter on New Year’s Day as part of an organized walk that lets the dogs get a chance to stretch their legs and socialize with people outside the kennels.

The Lipsys had always had a dog, but after their last one died they felt they needed time before bringing another one home. The walk got them thinking that the time seemed right. Then Laurita clicked onto the PACC website and saw three cattle dog-mix puppies were ready for adoption.

Bob and Laurita each fell in love with the same puppy, and before long Bella — her new name inspired by PACC’s address at 4000 N. Silverbell Road — was on her way home.

Familiar with the breed, the couple knew they would be devoting time to training to keep the smart, high-energy dog occupied.

Bella fetches the newspaper every morning, and Laurita has more in mind for her to learn.

And Bella is the perfect companion for Bob on his morning and evening walks.

Bella’s arrival has encouraged the couple to open their home to one more.

Wanting a canine companion for Bella, they have started talking with breed-specific rescue groups — believing that a Golden Retriever or Labrador rescue would be a good fit for their playful little cattle dog.

Adopting saves lives, they say. I would love to take the credit for adopting and saving the dogs I’ve loved in my life, but that would be only partly true.

I didn’t save them nearly as much as the entire Tucson rescue community did – including the tireless staff and volunteers at Pima Animal Care Center and the dozens of adoption advocates on Facebook.

Every day the staff and volunteers at PACC roll up their sleeves to solve problems. They clean up the damage caused by neglect, cope with hard decisions others have put off and open their hearts to love animals that were otherwise discarded. And then they share their amazing stories on Facebook to increase the likelihood that they will all find a loving home.

I should know. All of my dogs are with me today because of PACC Pets Need You on Facebook.

Peanut came into my life thanks to Michelle Lindorff, a PACC rescue coordinator who shared a photo of a neglected, sickly Queensland heeler mix on Facebook and pleaded for her cause. Peanut’s Valley Fever was diagnosed and treated quickly thanks to the caring comments and experience of volunteer Dolly Fernandes, again on Facebook.

I adopted Roxie, a pit bull mix, in November 2011 after volunteer LeeAnne Savage posted a video on Facebook detailing her gentle demeanor and impeccable manners.

And Beau, whose original owners could not be located through any social medium, became a permanent fixture in my heart after finding him stray on South Park Avenue in 2004.

Hardworking staff and loving volunteers save lives. Social media saves lives! Become a part of Tucson adoption and rescue community by joining the group PACC Pets Need You on Facebook.

Sweetie spent more than two and a half years with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona waiting for her forever home. She was in foster care visiting the shelter’s PAWSH store in the La Encantada shopping center when she finally got her chance.

Sally Riggs had been thinking of getting another dog to keep her Chihuahua company, when her 13-year-old daughter, Clarissa Peress, called her excitedly and told her she’d fallen for a small pit bull mix with a sad story.

The young dog had been used to breed puppies, starved and then discarded before she ended up at the HSSA. She was currently being cared for by a foster family.

“I went to the foster home and I met her. She was really adorable and happy,” Riggs recalled. Still, Riggs had never thought about owning a pit bull-mix. “If it wasn’t for my daughter being there and the story of how she was treated ... the heart strings started going,” she said.

They brought Sweetie home.

And while Sweetie gets along well with the chihuahua, she has completely bonded with the family’s Sphinx-breed hairless cat. “They chase and they play. She just fit in really well,” said Riggs, giving a lot of the credit to the foster families Sweetie had while with HHSA.

Riggs, who recently moved into a new home after a divorce, has also bonded with Sweetie, whose deep caramel-colored eyes frequently seek hers out. “She wants to understand, and she wants to please,” she said.

“It’s a new start for everybody.”

Lois Manowitz and Terry Alston lived on a couple acres in New Jersey around 2000 when Lois started noticing a stray black cat sitting under the pine tree whenever she was outside. They already had a couple of cats who seemed afraid of him, so Lois would chase him away — but he always returned, feral and afraid of any contact.

One day, while she filled the bird feeder, he walked right up to her, sniffed the bird seed, and then ran away. She could tell he was starving and badly injured from fights with other feral cats. A neighbor was the director of a no-kill shelter, and said she would take him there if Lois could trap him. When finally trapped, he looked so miserable and angry — he spit, hissed and growled. Lois didn’t know who felt worse, she with guilt or him. After a period of quarantine, he went to the SAVE Animal Shelter in Princeton.

This is the rest of their story:

I went to see him and he immediately hissed and growled at me. But the staff and volunteers at the shelter slowly gained his trust. They kept him in a small cage at first. When they could calm him down a bit, they treated his wounds and sores, and eventually neutered him. For months, they tenderly provided medical care and gradual socialization with humans. He responded but seemed depressed. They put him into a room with another rescued male cat and they immediately bonded.

I felt some responsibility for him, so I continued to visit every Saturday. For months, he growled or moved away each time I approached his enclosure. One day, the staff told me they moved him into an open area, out of his cage, and that I could go see him there. I was very reluctant, but they assured me it would be alright. So, I went in. He looked up, immediately walked over to me, around my ankles, and did a belly flop for a belly rub! I was stunned. The volunteers smiled and said “he saw the light” — that he realized he was safe and could relax. It was the most amazing transformation I’d ever seen in an animal. Still, no one came forward to adopt him.

My visits continued every Saturday for four years. I would go into the open cat room, and no matter where he was (usually sleeping in a big pile of cats), he’d extract himself and come over to me. We’d cuddle and play for about 20 minutes until he walked back over to the other cats and I said good-bye. I certainly had now fallen in love with him and I guess, he with me.

By December 2005, both our cats died and we were ready to adopt Blixa. As I drove him home, he relaxed in the car and within minutes of arriving home, he had explored, found his favorite spots, and settled right in.

In May 2006, I got a new job in Tucson and we relocated by driving across country. Once again, his mellow nature was on full display. He rode in the car with me, completely calm, and went each night into a different motel room, hopped on the beds and went to sleep.

In 2011, his injured eye was removed because our vet and a specialist were concerned there might be a tumor. He sailed through the surgery and recovery. He still runs around corners and furniture legs, and plays with his toys.

Since arriving in Tucson, he has enjoyed his life fully, winning the hearts of everyone who meets him. Now, at the estimated age of 17, he has kidney disease. To slow the progression, we take him to Sunrise Pet Clinic every other day to get subcutaneous fluids to keep him hydrated. His “kidney diet” consists of special food, fed in small portions many times per day. It is working very well and as long as he has this high quality of life, we will devote ourselves to his care. Through it all, he remains affectionate, happy, energetic, and cooperative.

Had it not been for the wonderful SAVE no-kill shelter, Blixa would never have been rescued and never would made it through another winter. He has shown everyone his true gentle and sweet nature. Our lives have been indescribably enriched through loving him and he has returned that in equal measure. Everyone tells us he is “a lucky cat”, but honestly, we are the lucky ones!

Shorty started out life in the home of an animal hoarder — he lived with 33 other dogs and 40 cats. His photo shows how confused and scared he was the day Pima animal enforcement officers showed up. There is no doubt his owners loved animals, but no one can provide the health care and attention so many animals need.

When the hoard was discovered and confiscated, the animals went to Pima Animal Care Center, and Shorty was one of the lucky ones put up for adoption. But he had to spend a lot of time in sick bay because he required a second surgery to repair a botched neuter. He also had surgery to remove many of his teeth — which had never been brushed. His eyes were coated with lipids and calcium deposits that meant he could only see through a narrow slit in the middle. On top of everything, he was diagnosed with tick fever. So life in an E-cone became the norm—and also he stayed all alone in his sick bay kennel.

After being used to lots of company, Shorty was a very sad and lonely little guy with itchy ears he couldn’t reach to scratch. Tucson Cold Wet Noses found a foster family so they could get him out of PACC. He stayed with his foster family until a blood test revealed that he was free of tick fever and his foster family decided they couldn’t part with him and he was officially adopted. He had quickly made himself welcome with the other members of the family.

He is truly loved by everyone he meets and greets all with a smile and a happy dance. He visits an ophthalmologist, whom he also loves, and has eye drops to help clear the cloudiness in his eyes.

His past life taught him to feel welcome on any piece of furniture or any lap he can find. And now, Shorty is a happy and healthy boy who has a home forever. Fostering is so important and necessary, especially for the older, and physically challenged animals. It saves two animals when a foster can be found—the one able to leave the shelter, and the one his leaving made room for.