Local real estate agent Kelsey Gerrand came up with the idea and decided to host the event at her Sutton-Harrison Realty office on Nelson St.
“We’re doing this to support the community, bring awareness to the animals and hopefully find homes for them,” she said. “To find a home for one of them today would be a success.”
For VPN, it was a welcome opportunity to promote its pet rescue and adoption service while aiming to connect with and inform people who might be willing to temporarily foster a homeless animal or commit to bringing a new pet into their family on a permanent basis.
“We’ve never done an open house before,” said president, Heather Reimer. “I know other rescues do them once in a while, and when Kelsey came up with the idea and I saw her place, it was just perfect for trying it. You always hope that someone is going to see the cat or dog of their dreams, go home and fill out the form and things will move forward. We rely a lot on just talking to folks, like we’re doing today, getting a sense of what they’re about and what they’re looking for.”
With at least two dozen animals currently in foster care, the need is ongoing.
“The adoptions have been slow for the past few years,” Reimer said. “I think that’s industry-wide. It’s kind of like a perfect storm because at the same time, we had a population explosion, particularly of stray cats and litters being born as late as January of this year.”
As a result, VPN has reduced the feline adoption fee.
“Due to having so many kittens that have grown up in rescue, some of whom are approaching their one-year anniversary with us, we started a BOGO deal,” Reimer said. “If you pay the adoption fee for one, the second cat is half price. You’re getting $700 to $800 worth of vetting and other care at no extra charge. For $150, you can get two kittens that are spayed, neutered and vaccinated. We’re lucky to have a really good partnership with Virden Animal Hospital, so they give us a rescue discount.”
Currently, the adoption fee is $100 for kittens, $75 for adult cats and $350 for a dog or a puppy.
Prospects must go through a screening process and meet certain conditions before being able to take an animal home.
“For certain dogs, like Enzo, we would require a fenced yard,” Reimer said. “That may not be necessary for every dog, but he is so active. “There’s a questionnaire on our Facebook page that people have to fill out and it asks about the family size and there is also an interview process to see if you’re qualified for an adoption.”
Meanwhile, new foster homes from within Virden and surrounding communities are welcome. For foster care, Reimer and adoption manager Alicia Gooden stressed that all costs, such as food and veterinary care, are covered by VPN.
“We always hope that they are going to foster “fail,” and that happens to often,” Reimer said. Fosters can turn into adoptions.
