FURRY FRIENDS
Animal Friends helps ease shelter overcrowding.
It might be an understatement to say that Princess Leia — with her floppy ears and restless bouts of prancing — was thrilled to arrive at the Animal Friends facility Friday.
Greeted by several staff members, onlookers and costumed storm troopers honoring a “Star Wars” theme, the black Labrador mix bounced back and forth as she playfully resisted the restraint of her red leash and blue collar upon her arrival at the Ohio Township facility.
She was the first of eight dogs from the Humane Society of Greene County to be transferred to the care of Animal Friends on Friday, during the organization’s 23rd annual New Year’s Rescue event, which seeks to help decrease overcrowding in other shelters.
Princess Leia was greeted by several people and she soaked up the attention with what appeared to be a smile, as she was adorned
with a new Animal Friends tag. Her next step was to be tested for heartworm and vaccinated, before a “spa treatment” bath, said chief programs officer Ann Ensminger as she welcomed the black Lab.
The nonprofit, which is more than 70 years old, took in a total of 15 furry friends on Friday — each of whom received a new name in honor of this year’s Star Wars galactic movie theme. Several volunteers adorned in storm trooper and death trooper costumes floated around the large building, as well as “Ponda Baba” that also made an appearance.
Eight dogs of various breeds arrived from Greene County, two Huskies from the Lawrence County Humane Society, and five bunnies from the Erie Area Rabbit Society & Rescue.
Each of the animals was renamed as follows: two pit bulls were renamed Amilyn and
Han Solo; two boxer mixes were renamed Beru and Padme; two other lab mixes were renamed Luke Skywalker and Rey; two Alaskan Huskies were renamed R2D2 and C3PO; and a Beagle mix was renamed Traya. The five bunnies have each been renamed R1 through R5, Animal Friends staff said.
A different theme is hosted every year, and previous years also have included superheros, officials said.
The Animal Friends organization, which is housed in a 30,000-square-foot facility on Camp Horne Road, has taken in animals from other overpopulated shelters in late December for 23 years. Animal Friends does this in addition to already having taken on large groups of rescued dogs, cats and rabbits throughout the year and prepping them for possible adoption.
Four large-scale rescues in 2019 have amounted to an addition of more than 200 animals, which mainly consist of dogs and cats. In June, the nonprofit rescued 31 cats from a house in Turtle Creek and as recently as September, the group took in 117 dogs from a residence in Ross.
“As time has gone on, we’ve developed such a great relationship with these organizations,” said Animal Friends communications director Cody Hoellerman on Friday. “This year is really unique because we’ve had a ton of huge rescues, es-pecially over the past six months.” This year’s end saw a smaller intake of rescues from other shelters, he said, which usually yields animals from about six or seven groups.
Some of those facilities might otherwise have euthanized animals to make room in their kennels, Mr. Hoellerman said.
Last year, about 2,620 animals were admitted and 2,504 were adopted. A total of 155 pets were adopted by veterans, including two dogs specially trained for the Pets for Vets Pittsburgh program, which helps people with PTSD and other military service-related issues.
“I think what people think is that animals who have been in shelters are broken, and while it can be the case that they may have some behavioral or medical challenges, that’s something that we really pride ourselves on is not turning away an animal based on those challenges,” Mr. Hoellerman said.
Some animals may stay with the organization for months as the crew works with the animals to prepare them for adoption. But the group’s main goal is to find as many as possible a home, which would allow more space for additional rescues.
“As much as we try and make it comfortable for them, and give them variety and enrichment in their day, it can be challenging,” Mr. Hoellerman said. “The fact that we have volunteers who come in and spend time with the animals every day, it’s just so good for their development.”
At any given time, there are up to 250 animals on site at the facility. About 2,500 animals come through the facility each year, Mr. Hoellerman said. Animal Friends has had about 2,456 dogs, cats and rabbits adopted as of Friday in 2019.