Will’s Animal Rescue’s first adoption day of the school year took place on September 20th. The Gubei pedestrian street was filled with cats, dogs, and animal enthusiasts (humans). The furry Sunday event lasted from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM.
Overall, the event has hugely successful. The adoptable pets were all notably clean and in good health. Cats and dog combined, there were approximately three hundred adoptable pets that attended the adoption day. Remarkably, around a hundred animals were adopted in the single-day event—58 cats and 43 dogs. Having one third of the present animals adopted is considered a high percentage for Shanghai adoption days. Will’s Animal Rescue is currently one of the most prominent animal rescue organizations in Shanghai. Their recent adoption days have out-scaled those of Jayia’s Animal Rescue (JAR), another major animal rescue organization. Unknown to many is the fact that animal shelters are technically banned in the Shanghai city. Large animal rescue organizations depend on foster homes to care for rescued pets and split donation funds among the numerous foster homes. At this particular adoption day, fosterers brought some or all of their rescued pets, looking for caring adopters. There were also a few pet stores or clinics present at the event that “foster” rescued pets and put them up for adoption free of charge, like all the other fosterers.
At this adoption day, many pets and humans were thrown off by the fireworks. A newly opened restaurant, fully aware that there is an animal adoption day occurring a few meters away, decided to boom a variety of fireworks for a good fifteen minutes. Dogs barked, ran, hid, or whimpered in fear of the unfamiliar loud noise invading their sensitive ears. Fortunately, the three hundred animals were kept in order and no chaos broke out. Guards, nurses, and vets were present in case an unexpected problem occurred.
Will’s Animal Rescue’s September adoption day was overall very well organized and successful. Keep an eye out for future adoption days! If you are interested in Shanghai’s animal rescues or adopting/fostering a pet, visit http://aws-sas.tumblr.com.
Emma Li
