Big Birthday Adoption Event Success Stories!

Thank you to all of you who adopted, volunteered and helped us spread the word about our birthday adoption event. It was a huge success!

Our goal was to find homes for 15,000 pets in one weekend. But when all the groups had reported in, it turned out that 15,700 pets had found forever homes -- and many more had great leads on possible homes.

Here are a few of our favorite success stories:

First-ever Petfinder adoption!
Animed Pet Adoption Center in Dedham, MA, had just become a Petfinder member
-- and had its first Petfinder adoption this weekend with lucky Cairn Terrier mix Toto. And the adoption applications have kept coming. "It feels like the Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup all over again," says Animed vet tech Greta Grundstrom.

Love at first sight!
At the multi-organization event in Oakland, CA, Petfinder staffer Jessica Harris met the Fredericks, who'd just adopted Pit mix Cookie from the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. When Jessica took their picture, she says, "I tried and tried to get Cookie to look into the camera, but couldn't -- she wouldn't take her eyes off her new mom!"

Playing for keeps!
Cabot Animal Control in Arkansas found homes for one cat and five dogs during its kid-centric adoption event, which featured cake, face-painting and a spacewalk. "I was so excited that I got in the bouncy house and went crazy!" says Brandy Buie, Cabot Animal Control's rescue coordinator.

Double the love!
Adoptions at K9Kastle in New York City more than doubled: Volunteer Emily Beck says that, on a typical weekend, the group finds homes for "three or four pets, tops" -- but at its event on Sunday, eight pets were adopted!

Six horses go home!
The Shepherds Way Animal Rescue in Springdale, WA, which rehabs abused and neglected horses and offers free riding lessons to disadvantaged kids, reports that six of its horses were adopted. "The outpouring of the community to help children and horses was unprecedented for us," says executive director Carrie Aenk.

A five-year resident is adopted!
Tiger Tom, who'd lived at Wildrun in Spencer, NY, for five years, finally found a family on Saturday. "Now he has a new work-from-home mom and dad who will be able to keep him company every moment of the day," says Wildrun founder (and Petfinder staffer) Susan Greene. Read Tiger Tom's Happy Tail on our blog.)

Hundreds find homes at mega-events!
In 10 major cities, multiple groups joined forces for mega-events. Petfinder's Sara Kent went to one of them, at St. Hubert's Animal Welfare and Education Center in Madison, NJ. "It was a blast, complete with a live band, face painting and free Petfinder birthday cake for all visitors," she says. More than 343 pets found homes at these multi-organization events.