The Palm Beach Post’s “Pet of the Week” feature started with a simple premise: People would adopt animals if those animals were right in front of their eyes.
In the animal rescue and adoption world, any attention is good attention. It’s the reason humane societies and shelters bring adoptable animals to community events and why others have garnered hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok showing sad-looking dogs in their kennels alone on Christmas Day.
Humans want to help. And we’re most likely to do so when the problem is right in front of us.
In February, I asked Palm Beach County’s animal shelter to work with me on a weekly basis to feature the longest resident in their care to get a few more eyes on the pets and their adoption profiles.
We started on Feb. 28 with Lil Kiki, a spirited brown and white dog with an impressively long tongue. She was only a year old, but she’d been in the shelter for four months.
It took five days after the story published for her to be adopted.
Since we began our Pet of the Week feature, 33 of the 43 pets we’ve written about have been adopted.
Those adopted have been as young as a trio of 15-week-old kittens (Stantz, Venkman and Spengler in July) and as senior and special as a 10-year-old bulldog mix (Bleu Davinci in March). Each has their own story that’s led them to the shelter and into the capable and loving hands of the volunteers there.
From last week:Calling Harry Potter lovers! Pup who shares a name with Hogwarts student needs a forever home
A look back at the Pets of the Week adopted in 2024 …
This year, 18 dogs and 15 cats were adopted after they were featured as “pets of the week.”
Their names are: Lil Kiki, Saki, Professor Plum, Lola, Bleu Davinci, Puddin, Miss Emma, Crixus, Silicon, Colonel Mustard, Pumba, Max, Kennedy, Kai, Miss Bellini, Jackson, Poochie, Paige, Stantz, Venkman, Spengler, Polo Bandz, George, Kara, Peanut, Chai Latte, Iris, Bonnie, Ghost, Captain Hook, Juliet, Oreo, and Chucky.
Some of their stories were heartwarming, like when neighbors in Loxahatchee banded together to track down a stray puppy running in their neighborhood in need of medical care and brought her to the shelter. Miss Bellini, who celebrated her first birthday in the shelter, was adopted in June.
But others came from brutal homes: The owner of Lola, 2, tied shoelaces tightly around her neck, making it difficult for her to breathe and causing swelling of her head. Her owner was arrested after a neighbor called police and Lola began two long months of rehabilitation. Lola was adopted in March.
Commonly, animals featured in the “Pet of the Week” series were not willfully given to the shelter, but instead brought there by police or neighbors when their owners died. They were loyal until the very end.
… And the 10 pets of the week still looking for their forever homes
Not every animal is as lucky as the 33 listed above.
Ten animals featured by The Post are still looking for loving families. Here’s a bit about each one and how long they’ve been in the shelter.
Cats
- Asabache, a 12-year-old female black cat, has been in the shelter since January.
- Moo Moo, a 2-year-old male orange cat, has been in the shelter since February.
- Mugatu, a 14-year-old male brown and white cat, has been in the shelter since March.
- Simone, a rare 4-year-old female Tabby cat, has been in the shelter since March.
- Sequoia, an 8-year-old male black and white cat, has been in the shelter since October.
Dogs
- Betsy, a 2-year-old female brown dog, has been in the shelter since May.
- Ares, a 4-year-old male grey dog, has been in the shelter since June.
- Poseidon, a large 3-year-old male brown dog, has been in the shelter since August.
- Rosie, a 2-year-old female white dog, has been in the shelter since October.
- Malfoy, a 3-year-old male black and white dog, has been in the shelter since November.
The fine print: How does the animal shelter choose Pet of the Week?
When Palm Beach County’s animal shelter selected a pet of the week for the series, staff chose an animal that is safe and ready to become a companion. All pets of the week are up-to-date on their vaccinations.
Animals chosen were part of the shelter’s “pet pal” program, in which volunteers repeatedly evaluate the animal’s temperament, safety and friendliness before deciding whether they’re ready for immediate adoption, according to the shelter’s website.
Pets with illnesses or histories of aggression are not eligible for the “pet pal” program. Dogs with histories of biting humans or other animals are also not eligible.
Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post, but she has thoroughly enjoyed writing the Pet of the Week feature throughout 2024. She has a dog, Cooper, who is 9 years old, and a kitten, Benny, who turned 1 in May.
You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!
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