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Friends of the furred host adoption event
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Participants in the doggy fashion show put the finishing touches on their costumes at Saturday’s Furry Footed Family Fun Festival. - photo by ANDREA GOODWIN / The Journal
Casanova pranced around a pen in front of Turlock Tractor Supply with his tongue poking out of his mouth on Saturday. The tiny black and tan Chihuahua wore a green coat to keep him warm on the chilly fall morning. Nobody would have guessed that this same dog came to an animal rescue agency months earlier with a fractured hip and several rotten teeth.
Casanova was rescued at Donnelley Park where he was being attacked by a group of large geese.
“The geese were killing him,” said Brenda Sutherland, director of Hope Small Animal and Rescue Referral, a non-profit animal rescue agency.
Sutherland received a call about the dog and picked him up. She then took Casanova was taken to a veterinarian where he was neutered, had his teeth fixed, and was treated for a fractured hip. He was up for adoption on Saturday at the Furry Footed Family Fun Festival.
Hope teamed up with several local independent rescue agencies to throw the first Furry Footed Family Fun Festival in Turlock. Sutherland said one of the main goals of the event was to promote awareness about spaying and neutering pets.
“Spay and neuter, spay and neuter! If I could tell people one thing it would be spay and neuter,” Sutherland said.
Casanova and many other small dogs ran around an open pen with a Hope volunteer, while onlookers tried to persuade them to the edge of the pen for a quick ear scratch. They ranged in age from 9 week-old puppies to older dogs like Casanova. Other agencies had cats, small dogs, and even a large Dalmatian available for adoption.
The Turlock Police Department brought a K-9 squad car to the festival for participants to look at. There was also a public awareness booth offering information on vaccinations, micro-chipping, and spay and neuter programs.
Sutherland said that she does a lot of work in Modesto and the Bay Area, and she wanted to put on an event in her hometown.
“Most people don’t even know that Hope is in Turlock,” Sutherland said. She added that spaying or neutering an animal is one of the best things that people can do to lower the number of cats and dogs euthanized at shelters every year.
The Turlock Police Department Animal Control Web site lists several low cost spay or neuter options available in Turlock, including Project X, which can be reached at Monte Vista Small animal hospital 634-0023 or Community Vet 634-5851.
Several cats and dogs were adopted at Saturday’s event. Sutherland estimated that seven or eight animals found homes. Many more cats and dogs, including Casanova, are still looking for permanent homes.
Hope and several other local shelters, rescues, and animal adoption agencies list animals on petfinder.com. The Web site allows users to search by species, breed, age, and location of animal. Casanova has his own profile on the Web site, which lists him as a “senior male” who is seeking an adult adopter who is willing to carry him around.
Hope can be reached by calling 667-4280.
To contact Andrea Goodwin, e-mail agoodwin@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2003.