The small parking lot behind a strip of buildings near the intersection of Decoro Drive and McBean Parkway received a group of 10 tail-wagging, mouth-slobbering visitors Saturday afternoon.
It was here that the Valencia branch of Coldwell Bankers participated in the corporation’s nationwide campaign called “Homes for Dogs,” in which local chapters hosted animal adoption events in conjunction with area shelters.
In this case, a group of 10 dogs was transported to the branch by the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center.
For realtors Belinda Bower and Ann Brunzell, Homes for Dogs was an important opportunity to give back to the community. They list it as one among many other community outreach events to which they contribute.
“As a real estate company you’re finding homes for people all the time,” said Bowers. “But it’s great to be able to support a rescue center and find homes for those dogs.”
Nicky Gore-Jones, a volunteer with the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center, cited the event as a good opportunity to find homes for the shelter’s many animals.
The Rescue Center is strictly a no-kill facility, meaning that under no circumstances will they euthanize an animal.
“We’re a no-kill shelter. We’re absolutely no-kill. ” Gore-Jones said.
Operating a no-kill shelter, however, leads to large quantities of animals accumulating under its jurisdiction.
The Santa Paula Shelter currently houses approximately 160 animals, and the medical costs associated with keeping the animals alive led the shelter to record a $1.3 million funding deficit last year.
But adoption events like Homes for Dogs, said Gore-Jones, are a proverbial ‘win-win’ situation – they alleviate crowding at the shelter and allow the animals to find loving, stimulating homes.
As of 3 p.m. on Saturday, two of the dogs had been adopted from the Coldwell event; both, however, were small in size as larger breeds require home visits in order to adopt.
For both Coldwell and the Santa Paula Animal Rescue Centers, the adoptions were seen as a success. Both, however, recognize that there is still work to be done.
“We would love for [the rescue center’s] transport truck to go back empty,” said Bowers.
“That’s our goal for the day.”
The Santa Paula Animal Rescue Center is currently seeking donations to mitigate the costs associated with being a no-kill shelter.