May is National Pet Month and Ozarks at Large is on it. Jack Travis attended a Pawpalooza last weekend to bring us this report.
Best Friends Animal Society, Walmart and Blue Buffalo have joined forces to encourage people to adopt more pets. The no-kill shelter is popping up at Walmarts across the country, offering attendees the chance to meet and greet adoptable dogs and cats, hopefully introducing some to their new companions.
Although the Pawpalooza in Rogers concluded Sunday, Best Friends senior marketing specialist Linda DeBerry says there are still opportunities until the end of the month. She says you can stop by their Bentonville animal shelter to hang out with rescue pets whenever you want.
"We have a very unique center. The Best Friends Pet Resource Center is in Bentonville. It's very unique. It will not feel like any shelter you've ever visited before. We have an on-site coffee bar called Third Space. It's all vegan. We have two free-roaming cat rooms so you can go out, get your coffee, hang out with the cats. Free Wi-Fi. You can check out a dog for the day. We have adoptable dogs who come in from their foster homes every day. Different ones show up so you can meet dogs. You can meet cats. You can hang out. You can enjoy coffee. It's a very relaxed and welcoming space. So come there, get your kitty and your puppy and your dog fix. And if you fall in love, which we hope you do, your adoption fee will be covered by Walmart and Blue Buffalo."
You could meet a dog like Reid, who was chilling out with Best Friends' Kyle Cooper, who says the dog needed some leash time.
"Reid is a very sweet, loving boy. He does not care for confined spaces. That's why we've got him out, just so he can breathe and not be stressed."
Cooper works full time for Best Friends. He says he loves connecting animals with the right people.
"You can see it on their face. They immediately go in. There's one that they just pick out of the litter, and you can see it written all over their face. Honestly, it's beautiful. I love it every single time. I love coming into work every day and, you know, you've got the ones that you start to build that relationship with, and it's always sad to see them go. But at the same time, you know, they're going on to something better. They're going on to their home, their place."
A connection like that occurred at the event. Kristen Gorman says she was smitten by a little face.
"We've been wanting an indoor cat for our family. All of us, and especially my daughter, who's 13. And so I started looking and fell in love, and I'm going home with a kitten. The minute that I held her — I actually held another cat — and this one was definitely the one for us in the end."
The Rogers Pawpalooza gave 85 dogs and cats the opportunity to find a new home. And if you missed the event, you can still visit Best Friends Animal Society in Bentonville and adopt a pet fee-free throughout the month of May. Visit bestfriends.org for more information.
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