If you’re looking to adopt a new furry friend, there is an event coming up in Ocean Springs for you!
The Jackson County Animal Shelter is hosting their annual pet adoption event on November 4th and 5th, coinciding with both days of the Peter Anderson Festival.
This year, the event will be hosted at Val’s Bar and Grill on Government Street.
Adoption Coordinator Maridee Mallette said the adoption event is a great way to get to know a potential pet outside of the environment of the shelter.
If you are seriously considering adopting one of the dogs, you can take them for a short walk around the event.
It isn’t just fun for the public, the dogs love getting to socialize and spend two days outside the shelter.
The event comes at a critical time for the shelter, which Mallette said is running out of space. “Adoptions have been decreasing, to me, and more coming in. Think about saving a life. You know, that’s unconditional love you’re going to get from a pet. You’re saving something, and it’s rewarding. There’s a lot. We’re full, we stay full. You know, animals get adopted, they come right back in and fill the cages up. So, we got around 220 animals right now, and we’re running out of space. I guess we need people to spay and neuter, adopt, come look for their animals if they’re lost. It’s a problem – a lot of animals coming in.”
The weekend after next, Jackson County Animal Shelter will also be hosting another event in Ocean Springs. The annual pet adoption and supply drive at Quake’s Ice Creamery will be in memory of Sophia Myers, an Ocean Springs child who loved volunteering at the shelter. She died due to brain cancer in 2017.