Families in the market for new friends attend adoption event
By Matt Caulder
Published in News on January 12, 2014 12:06 AM
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News-Argus/BOBBY WILLIAMS
Madison Hatem, 8, right, and her sister Kaitlyn, 11, play with one of the dogs that was brought to an adoption event by Diamonds in the Ruff Canine Rescue Saturday.
Walking down the line of kennels and looking in at the hopeful faces outside of the Pet Supplies Plus on Berkeley Boulevard is a far cry from the artificial light of an animal shelter.
At Diamonds in the Ruff Canine Rescue of Wayne County, dogs are pulled from the animal shelter and fostered until a home can be found for them -- the right home.
While many organizations are gearing up for the holiday season, the volunteers at DITR slow down for Christmas.
"We won't adopt a dog as a Christmas present," DITR Adoption Coordinator Eileen Kerlin said. "During the holidays we slow ourselves down. We won't do a surprise present."
Mrs. Kerlin said adopting a dog is a family decision and added that all members of a family need to be vetted before a dog can be placed in the home.
Tracy Hatem brought her daughters, Madison, 8, and Kaitlyn, 11, to look at the dogs after a trip to Pet Supplies Plus for chinchilla food.
After moving out into the country from Goldsboro, Mrs. Hatem decided it was time to get a family dog.
"We're not rushing into anything, but we want a dog," she said.
The Hatems were looking at 1-year-old Pumpkin Pie, a mixed breed female with a a calm temperament.
"We want a good, small size with an easy temperament, a low maintenance dog," Mrs. Hatem said.
Brendan Kerlin volunteers for DITR with his mother.
"We help a lot with getting dogs out of the shelters," he said. "We find people to get these dogs out to."
The process to adopt a dog includes an application process, home visits and background checks into a prospective owner's past veterinarian history.
In line with finding the right home for a dog, when more than one person is interested in a dog, the best fit for the dog is chosen, not the first in line.
Anyone adopting a second pet from DITR will go through the same process again to ensure the safety of the dogs.
Mrs. Kerlin said that a family who is adopting for the right reasons will not have a problem waiting to get the dog after the holiday season.
One thing that DITR always needs is more foster homes to care for the dogs while they are placed in homes.
All of the supplies are paid for as well as care for the animals, and anyone wanting to foster just needs a fenced in yard for the dogs and to apply.
Applications can be found and completed through the group website at www.ditrnc.com.
A list of the dogs available through the organization can also be found on the site.