Santa Clarita residents have the chance to meet their potential furry friend at Petco’s weekly meet and greet. The adoption is held every Sunday at the Petco in Saugus from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The meet and greet is organized by Halfway to Home, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping rescue dogs find their forever homes.
The dog rescue, founded by former social worker Suzanne Poth in 2001, became a certified non-profit organization in 2003. Volunteer Yosi Gomez explained, “[Suzanne Poth] started off by finding stray dogs, putting them in her car and then going to pet stores and adopting them out. We have a five-acre property that’s located in between Rosamond and Mojave with a capacity limit of 75 dogs. We’re no-kill and our main goal is to get dogs that have been abandoned, found as strays, owner surrenders [or] things like that and rehoming them into forever families.”
The adoption event is set up near Petco’s entrance, hoping to catch potential adopters’ attention. Displayed on each dog’s crate is a short description of their personality and essential information on the animal. Each sign tells the adopter what the dog’s name is, their age, their gender and if the dog is working on their social skills or if they have any lifestyle preferences. If attendees have questions beyond what is provided on a dog’s crate, guests can visit the designated table to ask volunteers questions and discover more about Halfway to Home.
Through the organization, each rescue dog is given a chance for adoption. “Picking out what dogs to bring to the event is random. We always make sure to bring all of our small dogs because they are the ones who get adopted faster. From there, [we choose] the highly adoptable dogs that are already trained and ready to go,” Gomez described.
Before taking their new dog home, adopters must go through an interview process to ensure the dog is right for them. This interview can be submitted ahead of time, completed online or done in-person. Gomez elaborated, “We ask you about your lifestyle, your work schedule and things like that. Then, we do a home check through pictures [that] you can either submit via email or just show off your phone in person. We want to see pictures of your yard and fencing and of the inside of the home where the dog would be sleeping.”
At the end of the day, owners want a pet they can call their best friend. Event attendee Ellen Bernal shared, “My dog just passed away a few months ago. He was six years old and he was a Frenchie. He ended up getting lymphoma, so it was very sudden and very sad. I’m just really missing that bond, and so we’re looking to see if we can [adopt an older dog] since his life was cut short too early.”
Halfway to Home continues to pursue its mission of helping dogs find their new homes with loving owners to call family. There will be many more adoption events every Sunday, so don’t be shy Wildcats and stop by.
