Animals have it made in Montrose; with good pet stores, spacious parks, the local no-kill shelter (the Glendale Humane Society), and weekly adoptions with "Sparky and the Gang" in front of , our four-legged friends can't go wrong.
For the past ten years, Sparky and the Gang has been offering pets for adoptions on Sundays from 1-5 p.m. This past Sunday, there were eighteen dogs on site, and four of little guys found homes.
Sherri Stankewitz, who manages the afternoon adoption event, remarks that "there's nothing more fulfilling than when you get to see a family go home with a dog."
There are always a few dogs onhand for adoption inside Andersen's Pet Shop (read Patch's coverage ), but the Sunday event allows potential pet-owners to see a greater selection of dogs.
Adoption costs (which include spaying or neutering, shots, and micro-chipping) range from $200-$350. There is also a fostering program; families can take home a dog for a week and give him a test run to see how he fits in. Stankewitz notes that this is "really good because it gets the dog out of the kennel," even if it is only for the week. Moreover, most foster parents turn into adoptive parents.
On a personal note, I fostered one adorable little guy over the past week, Fitzgerald, and it was great experience! He was the sweetest puppy you ever could hope for. All he wanted to do was be snuggled and loved. At four months old, this all-black Maltese/Poodle weighs in at five pounds of fluff. He loves to cuddle and sniff around, and did not ruin one single thing in my apartment. Though he had a few minor "accidents," he was happy to do his business he was taken out; he has a promising potty-training future.
While I would love to be one of the foster parents that turns into an adopter, I work all the time and it's not fair to Fitzy (not to mention my roommate) to keep him. But my loss is Patch-readers gain! Fitzy will be at the adoption on Sunday; if you have been looking for a dog and are able to take care of him like I can't, this is the dog for you. He is amazing.
Email sparkyandthegang@yahoo.com for more information on Fitzgerald or any of the other dogs available for adoption; if you do end up adopting, you'll find Rebecca Harvey's on dealing with a new dog very helpful.
