Pet-Adoption Event Gave 300 Furry Friends New Homes

People love their pets. Cats come with a curious nature and are purring bundles of fun. Dogs are man’s best friend and loyal companion, and a grin on their face and a wag of their tail can make an owner gush.

A new crop of South Florida residents soon will understand the joy that comes from four legs of fur. The inaugural Countdown 2 Zero pet-adoption event saw more than 300 animals being swept into their arms of their new parents.

The largest event of its kind, the initiative took place at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on Sept. 6, 2015, when, throughout the course of eight hours, more than 4,000 attendees roamed 50,000-square feet filled with barks and meows. I was there and it was fantastic!

The Lois Pope LIFE Foundation presented the event, which was sponsored by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control and the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, two of the 26 community-based animal-rescue groups involved, as well as local businesses. Among those who staffed the event was Angela Searcy, daughter of Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart and Shipley founder Chris Searcy. Angela Searcy is director of training and ranch manager at Furry Friends Adoption & Clinic, for whom the West Palm Beach, Fla., firm serves as legal counsel.

“We believe our community has the expertise, the means and, therefore, the obligation to aggressively implement strategies that will reduce the number of animals needing temporary shelter and allow us to save the lives of every adoptable animal in Palm Beach County ,” said Rich Anderson, executive director and CEO of Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. “With the implementation of Countdown 2 Zero and countywide adoption events such as this one, the community as a whole will become part of the solution.”