On a sunny Saturday afternoon in Cottonwood, the usual car-buying clientele was joined by an unusual group of visitors. On four paws, featuring furry faces and wagging tails, a dozen dogs, ranging from puppies to elders, spent the afternoon greeting, sniffing and licking everyone they met. Some of them had the barest hint of clothing — pieces of cloth tied around their necks, imploring their new friends to “adopt me.”
On June 8, the Verde Valley Humane Society held an adoption event in conjunction with the Oxendale dealership, trying to thin out the ranks of homeless pets that the shelter is caring for.
In addition to shel¬tering animals, the Verde Valley Humane Society — which covers most of the Verde Valley, including Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Cornville, Camp Verde, the Yavapai-Apache Nation, the Village of Oak Creek and Munds Park — has a trap-and-release program for strays, spaying or neutering animals they find.
“I think animals are one of the greatest joys in life,” Travis Reed, general sales manager, said while holding an 8-week-old Labrador mix named Nina. Nina’s mixed ancestry led to her having one bright blue eye in her small face, looking out at a big world.
Reed himself is a dog owner. He has a 15-year-old Boxer named James Bond, as well as a rescued lab named Dani. He organized the event in conjunction with Michelle Dube, who also is a member of the VVHS board of directors.
“If I had a horrible day, my Boxer walks over and he knows I had a horrible day,” Reed said. “And you can’t not have a smile on your face. I think animal adoption is a much better way to get a friend.”
The dealership paid for the first three pet adoptions in an effort to help the shelter, in addition to donating a used 2014 Dodge Caravan to the shelter to help the nonprofit to transport its animals.
For the Humane Society, the need for adoption is high. According to Victoria Bresnan, president of the VVHS board of directors, spring always leads to a surge in stray puppies and kittens, making it essential to find homes for as many as they can.
“We have over a hundred kittens in our nursery,” Bresnan said. “We’re in desperate need of fosters.”
According to Bresnan, the surge in stray kittens that happens in spring can only get worse the following year if not addressed quickly and effectively. Cats have very fast life cycles, so kittens that are not spayed or neutered can end up leading to a new generation by the following year. With the usual cat litter consisting of three to five kittens, a few dozen kittens that are not spayed or neutered in one year can balloon to hundreds the next.
Bresnan said that while the need for help is high, the community is often able to meet it. VVHS has 126 volunteers caring for and walking the animals, though Bresnan said that the shelter could always do with more.
“The community is tremendously helpful,” Bresnan said. “When we get the stories out, people want to help. We have tremen¬dous volunteers. But it’s not enough. We need fosters.”
At Saturday’s event, some of those fosters turned out. Rod Dombek of Cotton-wood adopted Wolfgang, a 12-year-old lab mix.
“We want an older dog, because we’re old ourselves,” Dombek said. He and his wife already have cats, so they wanted a calm dog who would get along with them. “My wife said, ‘I’ll take the oldest dog they’ve got.’ He can’t outrun me.”
“When we can find a senior adoption, it’s really helpful,” Karen Maguire, a volunteer at the event, said. According to Maguire, most fosters look for young dogs, often leaving the elders in need of care behind.
Elsewhere, assorted puppies made their case for adoption. Three cuddled together in a small pen as they slept. Mabry, a 1-year-old poodle/terrier mix who recovered from a broken leg when the shelter found her, smiled constantly from thick fur face.
“This may be the only experience of unconditional love,” VVHS board Vice President Bill Larsen said. “That pet you take home loves you.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
