Hello All,

Just a quick update on the events of the day in Indianapolis. The day started off a bit cloudy and chilly, but by the end of it, seven animals had found homes. This was the second day of a two-day event. The Indianapolis Animal Care and Control (normally closed on Sunday) was open to carry on the mission of Tour for Life, and promote adoptions. Between the two days, there were close to 20 rescue groups that joined the AC&C at their location. Overall it was a successful weekend where 24 animals found their forever homes. And even a few more “temporary happy endings” where a few animals from the shelter found their way into the rescue groups.

All in all there was a ray of sunshine today. There was a female dog that had come into the shelter earlier that week that happened to be pregnant. As we were getting our tour through the shelter, we passed by her cage, and as a side note: the kennel was very noisy. There was a small squeaking to be heard, as we looked into her cage we found two puppies that were just born. Along with the shelter workers, we helped move her and her puppies to a quieter location. As the day progressed, we kept checking on her and by the end of the day, she had given birth to seven puppies. She was such a sweet dog. Some mothers are very protective of their babies, but she let us pick them up and she would snuggle up to us for comfort.

There was a Great Pyrenees Rescue there and at one point, there seemed to be a gaggle of them standing around together (there was close to a dozen of them there). There were some other dogs from the shelter that were quite memorable. Two in particular. One named Steve and one named Rocco. Steve was a stray dog that was picked up by a shelter worker as he was walking down the block on a rainy day. He was a bundle of energy that had found his forever home and was waiting to be picked up because he had to be neutered. Rocco was a favorite among the volunteers and we soon found out why. He was a loving dog that was full of energy and always looking for another treat. He was very well behaved when everyone came over to say hello, although it has been said he can still act like a puppy. Unfortunately Rocco did not find his forever home but we are hoping he will in the coming days.

Well it has been a good time had here with our friends at the Indianapolis Animal Care and Control and look forward to working with them on future events.

~ Jen and Christina

We had an unfortunately quiet day in St Louis with the APA of Missouri. Our event site was at beautiful Queenie Park outside the Museum of the Dog, but I spent the day with Luna, a gorgeous big-boned cat that hung out with me in the front cab of the truck. It’s sad at the end of the day of falling in love to see them go back to the shelter, but knowing that they are well taken care of makes it better. We’ve been meeting a lot of dogs on Tour that have been at their shelter for some time and no one quite knows why. They are the overlooked dogs who are as sweet as can be, but can’t seem to find the right match. We saw that in Keeger, a sweet black Lab mix who just wanted to sit next to you and spend time with people. As we seen dogs like Keeger get passed by, we want to remind everyone that there are countless homeless pets looking for homes, and the only way to end pet homelessness is to ADOPT from a shelter – not a pet store or other avenues. Let’s get these guys into the wonderful homes they deserve!!

-Christina & Jen

We couldn’t have asked for a better day in Clarksville! Our friends at Precious Friends brought out some of the cutest dogs we have seen so far, and we’re happy to report that quite a few of them found homes.

Precious Friends works closely with North Shore Animal League America throughout the year providing us with puppies for adoption, while promoting the importance of spaying the moms of these puppies. While we spent the day playing with all these animals, we got word that whoever didn’t get adopted at the event would be going to the Animal League for Adoptathon!

We can’t wait to get back home and see all those cuties once again, but hopefully, a few will have found homes before we get back.

~ Christina & Jen

This was our first event with Huntsville Animal Services, and everything went really well. Not only did we find lots of homes for their cats and dogs, but two of their dogs even went to a rescue group who saved them from going back into cages! One of the dogs that is still available is Becky. She is a Greyhound/Hound mix, and all she wanted was to lean on you and sleep next to you. She was so calm and so gentle, but overlooked due her size. People often overlook a large dog because they think it would be cruel to keep a big dog in the house. Sometimes it’s more important to look at the demeanor over the size. A sweet, quiet girl like Becky would do so well in any sized environment – if only given the chance.

-Christina & Hank

Whenever we work with the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, it feels like we’re spending time with our family. We had beautiful weather for the event, and we got to spend time with Buddy, an adorable 8 month-old Terrier/Retriever mix. Buddy is the kind of dog that makes you wonder why he would be in a shelter more than a day; and unfortunately, Buddy has been with GBHS for months! I also spent time with Salem, a cross-eyed, blue-eyed, fat white cat! He was gorgeous and sweet and liked to give love bites. What a special guy. If you’re a cat person, you would fall for him in a heartbeat. As we keep on trucking, our next stop is further up the road in Huntsville.

-Christina & Hank

The Southern Animal Foundation in New Orleans is a very special new addition to the Tour for Life. Not only do they find homes for cats and dogs, they are also a veterinary clinic and a staple for animal care in the community. Joined by four other groups, there was more of a selection of dogs then you could imagine! From Jackie, a tall and gorgeous 10 year-old Afghan mix, to Muffin, a little 5 year-old Yorkshire terrier mix, there were dogs of all shapes and sizes available – and let’s not forget all the cute puppies! There were some kitties available too, including my little feisty friend, the cutest seven week-old Tabby kitten.

We’re often asked, “How do you measure a successful event? Is it simply a large number of adoptions?” Not at all! Success is measured in the joy that even just one adoption can bring to a group, or from seeing the smile on a new parent’s face when they leave the event with their new baby. For a community and a group that has been through so much already, those smiles mean the world.

-Christina & Hank

Our event to day with the Humane Society of Sarasota County was a great success. Joined by the Suncoast Humane Society, Canine Castaways and a few others, PetSmart was overflowing with dogs. One of our buddies for the day was Koko, a 10 year-old Shepherd mix who was as sweet as can be. Koko found a home today!

The Humane Society’s favorite adoption for the day was Lil Bit. Lil Bit was a beautiful black kitty who had been at HSSC for over a year. A very loving, very cat-friendly couple came on board, saw how long she had been at the shelter and knew she needed to go home with them. The staff was thrilled! All in all, our first ever event with HSSC was a great success. We hope to see them and all the other groups that participated, next year.

Next up – New Orleans.

-Christina & Hank

Reuniting with the Jacksonville Humane Society was bittersweet. Last year only a few days after we had our event with them, they had a fire that devastated the shelter. One year later, the shelter is doing quite well and more then that, the staff is still smiling, still as friendly as ever. The weather was perfect for the event. Beautiful blue skies, warm and sunny, although a bit too warm for these two New Yorkers!

We found homes for eight pets including the star of the morning Shelby, an adorable 7 year-old Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie) mix and Punkin, a stunning orange and white domestic long hair cat. Punkin’s new owners came specifically for an adult male cat, it was the perfect fit! Finding homes for adult dogs and cats always brings an extra smile to everyone’s face. We spent most of our day with Jazmine, a gorgeous 1 1/2 year-old American Pit Bull Terrier mix who was so smart and so sweet and Copper, a medium sized Shepherd-Hound mix who just wanted to be everyone’s friend. It was sad to see that they didn’t find a home at the event, but we know that they are in very loving hands.

Next up, we’re heading southwest to Sarasota. This is a lot of sunshine for one week!

-Christina & Hank