The survival rate for homeless animals is pretty dismal. So dismal, in fact, that we won't delve into all the details here and ruin your sunny morning. Instead, we'll talk about this Sunday's Animal Adoption Fair at Fort Lauderdale's War Memorial Auditorium, a chance to meet, greet and hopefully head home with a new furry family member.
Now in its fourth year, this furbaby blowout will feature live music, vegan fair food, raffles and all the adorable adoptables you can handle.
See also: Animal Agriculture Is Destroying the Planet
Animal advocate and organizer Brook Katz founded the fair as a labor of love. The event will be showcasing homeless pets from groups across Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
"There are going be over 50 different rescue and shelters there with adoptable animals; all day music and entertainment. I have both the Broward Sheriff's Dept and Sunrise Police Department bringing their dogs in and doing demonstrations," he says.
The Broward officer is actually a world-renowned search and rescue trainer, Katz adds.
Also on site will be the American Idogs doing a dog show/talent contest; Pets Broward, an organization working to make Broward Animal Care & Control into a no-kill shelter, other advocacy groups, vendors and more.
"I even have a holistic vet that'll be there doing herbal and acupuncture for animals. We're really covering the gamut. The purpose is to educate people as much as possible and to get as many animals as we can adopted," explains Katz.
The end goal for the fun-filled fair is to bring attention to the many rescues and shelter groups doing lifesaving work. And to get pups and kitties adopted, of course.
The event will also feature an array of vegan food for sale. Because if you love dogs, shouldn't you love piggies too?
"I just figure that it's time to raise the consciousness. If we're really going to do something then we should do it. I go to a lot of these events and it's tough -- you have a petting zoo on one side and you're serving hamburgers and hot dogs on the other," Katz says. "If I have a chance to educate people I'll take it."
And for those who don't find a forever family member in the 400 or 500 animals that'll be on site, Katz hopes they keep looking.
"If people don't find something on the day of the event, maybe they'll go the shelters and rescues and look more. We want to get these rescues known because nobody even knows they exist. It's kind of crazy -- you have all these groups, nobody funds them, nobody knows they exist, yet here they are trying to save all these animals. It's a day when we try and give them a little recognition. They're heroes in my mind and they're forgotten for the most part. We just want to let them know that they're not forgotten."
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at War Memorial Auditorium on Sunday, August 24. Admission is free and parking is free.
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