Ay, Chihuahua! Pet adoption ‘fiesta’ is on tap at Lucas County dog warden

Volunteers Lindsay Czerniak of Toledo, left, and Robin Rayner of Bowling Green towel off Ella Mae, an American fox hound mix, after giving her a bath at the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office in preparation for a ‘Fido and Feline Fiesta’ mega-adoption event this weekend.

Lucas County is going to the dogs — and the cats — this weekend.

The Lucas County dog warden is hosting a huge adoption event, the “Fido and Feline Fiesta,” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Lucas County Recreation Center, Hall II, 2901 Key St., Maumee.

The “fiesta” theme is in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

The goal is to adopt out 200 animals in two days, said Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle. There will be more than 200 dogs and 50 cats and several “pocket pets” all looking for homes.

“The benefit to the public of these events is that it provides ‘one-stop shopping’ for a new pet,” Ms. Lyle said. “Rather than have several different shelters and rescue group events to visit to view animals in need of homes, they can see them all in one place. There will be a huge variety of dogs available.”

This is the first time the county has taken the lead in organizing a “mega” adoption event, which features available animals from the pound, the Toledo Area Humane Society, Planned Pethood, the Lucas County Pit Crew, Maumee Valley Save-A-Pet, You Lucky Dog, Hairy Houdini Husky Rescue, Golden Retriever Rescue Resource, and Ohio Great Dane Rescue.

Sponsors include The Blade and Superior Uniforms.

“We have almost every cage and kennel at the [pound] full right now and really need the help from the community to save the lives of these dogs in need,” Ms. Lyle said of the pound.

The Toledo Area Humane Society will bring about 40 dogs and puppies, 30 cats and kittens, three rabbits, three guinea pigs, and one hamster, said Gary Willoughby, executive director of the Toledo Area Humane Society,

“Many organizations typically offer adoption specials, so adopting a pet is even a bigger bargain than it normally is,” he said of the event.

Adoption fees vary by group. The humane society is charging $5 to $25 for adult cats, kittens will be $110, and most dogs will be between $50 and $100.

The pound is reducing its $100 adoption fee to $55 in honor of Cinco de Mayo, which is May 5. This adoption fee includes the spay/neuter surgery, up-to-date vaccines (distemper/parvo, rabies and bordetella), worming, microchip and registration, exam, and behavioral evaluation.

There is an additional $25 fee to license a dog, which must be done at the time of adoption. Some dogs from the pound also have sponsors that have donated $50 toward their adoption fee, so the adoption fee for those dogs will only be $5 plus a dog license, Ms. Lyle said.

Those who are looking to adopt a dog who already have a dog are asked to bring them to the event, as several groups require a dog-to-dog introduction when completing an adoption.

There are many considerations people should look at when adopting, Ms. Lyle said.

“They should look realistically at their family and what type of pet will best fit in,” she said.

Factors to be considered include the dog’s activity level, grooming needs, social interaction needs, how much time they spend away from home, age and responsibility level of children in the home, the presence or lack of a safe outdoor area in which to spend time with a pet, and the time commitment they can give.

Mr. Willoughby adds that adopting should never be an impulse decision.

“The best advice I can give is to think it through,” he said. “You are making a commitment to an animal that may be with you for more than a decade.”

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com or 419-724-6066.