PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Grimes Center at the Strawberry Festival Fairgrounds has gone to the dogs in the best way possible.
The third-annual Mega Dog Adoption Event wrapped another successful weekend, with hundreds of new pup parents saying 'yes' to their gotcha day.
Eager potential pet owners lined up early for the final day of the free event on Sunday. When the doors finally opened, they were ready and running to find their furry friend.
Hillsborough, Sumter, Orange, Manatee, Marion, Pasco and Polk Counties all came together to help clear their shelters. Hundreds of adoptable dogs were available, with their adoption fees waived.
"You know, we're in this together to try to find homes for everyone's dogs. All of these dogs are adoption-ready. So, they are spayed and neutered, they're microchipped and they're ready to go home today," Chelsea Waldeck with Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center said.
Waldeck says this event helps them to adopt out hundreds of dogs quickly, but it also helps raise awareness for shelter animals.
"A lot of times they have misnomers with them that they're broken, or dangerous, or anything like that, and that's really not the case. They're just loving dogs that unfortunately ended up on the wrong side of the road and need a loving home," said Waldeck.
Organizers said they plan on holding this free mega adoption weekend at the same time, same place, next year.
To find more information about pets available for adoption right now at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center, click here.
