One of the silver linings of frequent video conference meetings is seeing your coworker’s cat meander across their keyboard or a cameo appearance from their dog. In fact, it is not uncommon for a meeting to begin with everyone showing off their pet.
If you find yourself feeling left out of virtual pet show-and-tell or you’ve been thinking about adding a new furry companion to your household, you are in luck.
Greater Cincinnati's 10th-annual My Furry Valentine adoption event returns Feb. 6-14, and in light of the pandemic, this year it's shifting to a virtual platform.
The event happen through Adopets, an online platform that allows adopters to view adoptable animals, schedule times to meet potential pets, process payments, and complete applications and contracts.
My Furry Valentine, which usually takes place at the Sharonville Convention Center, finds homes for hundreds of animals annually, and this year, some shelters are expecting even greater numbers due to the recent pandemic adoption boom.
Shelter Animals Count's COVID-19 Impact Report reveals that the national adoption rate increased 22% from 2019 to 2020. Cat adoptions went up 17%, while dog adoptions went up 32%.
While a lot of people are adopting puppies and kittens to keep them company while stuck inside, not all centers have experienced this boom in adoption.
One of the agencies participating in MFV says that it relies on adoption events to find homes for dogs that are older and have special medical needs, and a lot of these events have been canceled due to the pandemic.
“It’s been very slow this past year,” Shell Young, director of Liberty Acres United Rescue Animal Sanctuary, tells CityBeat. “The last event we were able to attend was actually My Furry Valentine last year, and we got eight dogs adopted that weekend, which is big for us.”
Young is hopeful that this year’s My Furry Valentine event will end with some of the sanctuary’s older dogs finding loving homes.
“Older dogs are great for people who have some dog experience and they just want a companion,” Young says. “To an older dog, you’re the center of their universe and they’re more than happy to just nap and wait on you.”
While some of the sweet senior dogs from Liberty Acres will be available for adoption, the event will also feature dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and other small mammals from 14 other local rescue and adoption centers.
During the event, all dog adoption fees are $25 off, and cat adoption fees are as low as $10.
The virtual event will go live on Saturday, Feb. 6, with a look at available pets.
For more information, visit myfurryvalentine.com.
