Damage to a site after the tornado hit Toledo, OH. (Photo: ABC News)
Our Adoption Options series takes us on exciting trips all around the country, but the conference scheduled on June 6 in Toledo, OH, had a little more "excitement" than we bargained for!After on-and-off bad weather leading up to day of the event, the brunt of the storms hit during the night of June 5 and lasted well into the morning. Surviving a night of tornado watches and sirens, our crew of speakers rose early Sunday morning to head to the park. The news reported hundreds of downed trees in the exact location where Adoption Options was scheduled to be held, Oak Openings Preserve.
As soon as we arrived, it was clear we would not be able to stay. There
were downed trees everywhere (including a huge one that came crashing
down right in front of us) and no power. Park rangers were hard at work
to clear the way, but it will be a long time before the park is fully
functional again. (Read
more about the cleanup efforts here.)
I started calling every hotel in the area to find a room on extremely short notice (and on a Sunday) that could accommodate 60 animal-welfare workers. Just then, Julie Lyle from Lucas County Dog Warden and the folks from Toledo Area Humane Society pulled up in separate cars. When informed of the situation, Julie replied that she had enough space, but not enough chairs. Toledo Humane quickly stepped in and said, "We have chairs!"
In less than 20 minutes, the community room at the Lucas County Dog Warden was being filled with chairs from Toledo Area Humane Society. Following the makeshift sign left at Oak Openings (created from a box previously containing a Kuranda dog bed), attendees started to filter in. The rest of the day went off without a hitch and was the perfect example of animal-welfare groups working together to solve a problem.
You might also like:
Blog: A surprise love connection at a Petfinder seminar
Article: Disaster Preparedness Tips
I started calling every hotel in the area to find a room on extremely short notice (and on a Sunday) that could accommodate 60 animal-welfare workers. Just then, Julie Lyle from Lucas County Dog Warden and the folks from Toledo Area Humane Society pulled up in separate cars. When informed of the situation, Julie replied that she had enough space, but not enough chairs. Toledo Humane quickly stepped in and said, "We have chairs!"
In less than 20 minutes, the community room at the Lucas County Dog Warden was being filled with chairs from Toledo Area Humane Society. Following the makeshift sign left at Oak Openings (created from a box previously containing a Kuranda dog bed), attendees started to filter in. The rest of the day went off without a hitch and was the perfect example of animal-welfare groups working together to solve a problem.
You might also like:
Blog: A surprise love connection at a Petfinder seminar
Article: Disaster Preparedness Tips
