‘Can I pet that dog?’: Pup adoption event draws hundreds

Charlie, a 7-year-old white ball of fur, sat inside a red wagon padded with blankets on Saturday afternoon. His makeshift throne was decorated with green construction paper that read “ADOPT ME,” and his foster mom, Lynn Thomas, wheeled him around, stopping whenever someone asked, “Can I pet that dog?”

The pup, recently abandoned near Mount Charleston, was one of many up for adoption at Clark County’s second annual “Puppy Love” event on Saturday afternoon. Thomas, who had already completed several laps around the fair, said her goal for the day was to find Charlie a permanent home.

“I put up signs and called everyone you could imagine, but nobody is looking for him,” Thomas said. “I like these events because everybody works together to give these animals a great life.”

Thomas came to “Puppy Love,” which took place at Silverado Ranch Dog Park, on behalf of a Facebook group she started for lost animals in Las Vegas. Several local shelters and rescues were also represented, allowing attendees to interact with dogs needing a forever home. Other businesses and organizations passed out educational materials on how to care for pets.

The festival saw hundreds of visitors, including current and prospective pet owners. Attendees bounced from booth to booth, learning how to apply to foster or adopt a pet.

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft sponsored the event, which was billed as a pre-Valentine’s Day celebration.

A news release advertising the event said it would be an opportunity to highlight Clark County’s recent Title 10 amendments, which Naft said supported “animal welfare efforts across the Valley.”

“What everything we’ve tried to do gets at is reducing the number of pets that end up in a shelter. Last week, we completely rehauled Title 10 — the governing document over most animal welfare issues,” Naft said. “This overhaul included things like mandatory microchipping, but there were also some common sense elements, such as changing the fee structure for breeders. At the end of the day, we want to make sure that this community knows that there are many beautiful, wonderful dogs available in our shelters.”

“Nothing brings people together, as you can see today, like their love for animals,” Naft added. “And when you have people from all walks of life all over the valley who come together on a beautiful day like this and share a thing that we all have in common, I think that’s a really cool thing.”

Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.