Posted on Apr 30, 2016 in
FEATURES
Bella with her new daddy Tim Kaminski. Bella spends her days at the Gingerbread Kids’ Academy surrounded by children who adore their new pup.
By Sarah Black –
Last year, Sugar Land Petopia, the adoption division of the City of Sugar Land’s Animal Services, helped almost 800 animals find happiness in their forever homes. Committed to minimizing every animal’s time in the shelter and getting them into loving homes as quickly as possible, the staff and their volunteer Adoption Team regularly take their four-legged residents out and about to meet potential forever families.
One lucky pup that recently made a special outing to meet her fabulous new family is Bella. A 10 week-old Chihuahua/Miniature Pinscher mix, Bella was rescued from Highway 90A by a truck driver who initially thought she was a rock on the road. She had injuries that suggested that she had been dropped there by a predator. In the caring and capable hands of shelter staff, she quickly bounced back.
At the same time, the Fort Bend Women’s Center approached the shelter about auctioning a puppy at their annual Boogie event. Thanks to a shelter volunteer donating the costs of her adoption fees, Bella was able to be that puppy. She raised $1,650 for the Women’s Center and found a wonderful home with a truly loving family.
While charity auctions are pretty unusual, the team at Sugar Land Petopia is constantly innovating to help their dogs and cats find that perfect home. The volunteer Adoption Team manages an adoption center at PetSmart First Colony every weekend, allowing potential adopters to meet a variety of animals. The team can also be found at other public events such as Earth Day, running events and more.
Sugar Land Petopia’s next big adoption event is PetSmart’s National Adoption Weekend, May 13th through 15th, when volunteers and staff will work together to bring over 20 animals to the First Colony store. The National Adoption weekends are wonderful opportunities for people to come and meet Petopia’s dogs and cats. They can talk to volunteers who know these animals well, find out more about how the adoption process works and hopefully end up adopting “happiness” in the shape of the perfect dog or cat!
One of the things that makes adopting from Petopia special is their sleepover process. If a person meets a dog or cat that they think could be the next member of their family, they can take them home for a few days’ trial before committing to give them a home for life. It gives everyone a chance to get to know each other and works really well for the animal and the humans!
To find out more about Sugar Land Petopia and its adoptable animals, visit www.sugarlandpetopia.org. To join Pet-opia’s Volunteer Adoption team, visit volunteer.sugarlandtx.gov and fill in an application form and register for training.
