RICHMOND, Va. β Dozens of dogs and cats from rural Virginia shelters were brought to the Richmond Animal League in Chesterfield for the organization's second annual Rescue Round Up event on Friday, hoping to find their forever homes.
The adoption event brought together animals from nearly a dozen counties across central Virginia, including Dinwiddie, King William, Nottoway, and Sussex counties. The pets made the hour-long journey to participate in an event that could significantly improve their chances of adoption.
"It's a huge win for our animal control partners that often don't get that much traffic at their shelters. These are smaller shelters. Some of them are rural shelters, and so a good week or a good month might be one or two adoptions," said Larry Eason, executive director of Richmond Animal League.
The goal is simple: ensure these rural shelters return home with empty kennels and successful adoptions.
Dinwiddie County Animal Control brought several dogs to the event, including two hounds, a shepherd mix, and other breeds. The timing couldn't be better for their facility.
"Our shelter, especially right now we're going through a renovation so we're definitely in need of space. We have about 15 kennels to work with when usually we have 30, so we're really cut down. This is really important. It's gonna get the dogs out of here and get them adopted," said Melissa Davis, Dinwiddie Animal Control Officer.
Davis explained that the dogs her shelter brought have been waiting for homes for an extended period and deserve loving families.
"They've kind of grown fond to us, but the other two we figured maybe some puppies we could get out really easy and make some room for us," Davis said.
All the animals at the event are house-broken and full of energy, simply needing owners who can match their enthusiasm.
"Each of the shelters, most of them drive about an hour just to be here, so we really get the benefit of pets that are from all over the state really that they're all in one place, which is really great," said Lindsay Covington from Richmond Animal League.
The Rescue Round Up continues to provide a vital service for rural shelters that typically see limited foot traffic, giving these deserving animals a better chance at finding the loving homes they need.
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