BARK IN THE PARK HELD AT AL LOPEZ

By STEPHEN HAMMILL

Jody Dixon came to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s 20th annual Bark in the Park with the intention of finding a new friend.

“I’m going to call her Phoebe,” said Dixon, holding a black and white Boston terrier in her arms. Dixon was inside the Humane Society’s mobile adoption center, one of the dozens of stations at the annual event, held at Al Lopez Park, 4810 N. Himes Ave. Each year, the bark in the park welcomes dog owners and pet-oriented businesses and programs for a day of fun.

The mobile adoption center is a shelter on wheels , bringing animals up for adoption out to the community. Volunteers assist with adoptions, paperwork and with cleaning cages.

Dixon was able to fill out the necessary forms in a matter of minutes before taking Phoebe home with her.

“I had a border collie for 15 years and we had to put him down,” Dixon said.

Carrie Peterson is the mobile adoptive counselor. She travels across the county during the week, finding homes for as many animals as she can.

“Everything we do at a shelter we do here,” Peterson said. “Some people wouldn’t go to the shelters, maybe because they live too far away. Also, people can take their other pets with them to see if they all get along.”

According to Peterson, all the animals aboard the mobile adoption center are spayed or neutered and inoculated in advance.

The purpose of the bark in the park is to help provide awareness and funding for the shelter, food and medical care needed for the thousands of animals that are relinquished to the Humane Society’s shelters each year.

For the event, individual dog walkers were invited to form into teams of five-to-10 friends or co-workers, to participate in various events, such as a pet costume contest and a dog/owner look-alike contest. Walkers were asked to contribute a minimum donation of $45 in order to participate.

“Last year, we had about 1,500 people come out,” said Cathy Bellatin, the special events director for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. “This year we could approach 2,000. It’s really something to see so many people come out and support what the Humane Society is doing.”

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit organization, has been offering shelter to animals since 1929. They receive no funding from tax dollars or from the Humane Society of the United States, and instead rely on donations.

This is the 20th anniversary of the bark in the park event, and Bellatin said it grows each year thanks to the sponsors and volunteers. Not all of the sponsors are pet-oriented businesses or organizations. One of those sponsors, Post Properties of Tampa, had a table set up in the park as a way to get the word out about its pet-friendly policies.

“We actually accept big dogs, which most places won’t,” said Post Properties’ Shelly Espy. Post Properties is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and is one of the largest developers and operators of apartments, condominiums and town homes in the country. There are four such complexes in Tampa: Post Bay at Rocky Point, Post Harbour Place, Post Hyde Park and Post Rocky Point.

As for allowing pets in their complexes, the motivation is simple.

“There’s a huge market for it,” said Tony Leal of Post Properties. “We’re trying to be more pet-friendly.” Residents can pay a pet fee that depends on their dog’s weight. There are rules barring aggressive breeds.

At another table, the Humane Society set up shop with its volunteer station, manned by Pam McFarlin, volunteer outreach coordinator for the Tampa Bay chapter. McFarlin said the Humane Society only has a maximum of 27 employees at a given time, meaning large events and outreach programs like the bark in the park require a flood of volunteers.

“Our volunteers learn how to handle our events and our special programs,” she said.

HSTB volunteers must be 16 or older. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times. Volunteers can work at shelters, as foster care animal parents, in the kennel care program, as adoption assistants and in various community outreach positions.

As important as the volunteers are, McFarlin said that donations are no less important.

“We try to use all the money that we raise for our dogs and cats,” McFarlin said. “We offer spay-and-neuter programs as a cheap option for residents. Hillsborough County has the highest number of homeless dogs in the state, so we have the highest number of euthanized dogs in the state.”

The Humane Society’s spay and neuter clinic opened in the spring of 2000. Through December 2005, more than 26,000 dogs and cats have been sterilized. On the average year about 17 million dogs and cats are turned over to animal shelters. According to the Humane Society, only one out of every ten taken in ever find a home. Of the rest, some 13.5 million dogs and cats in total, they are destroyed.

Beyond the mobile adoption center, among the dozens of tables advertising various pet products and adoption services, were the folks of Dalmatian Rescue of Tampa Bay.

“We get all our dogs from Hillsborough kill centers,” said Frank Natol, the volunteer coordinator for the Dalmatian rescue. With Natol was a black-and-white spotted adult named Bowzer, who had just been adopted “on his very last day – he was about to be destroyed. I had him at my house. He was pretty near death”

Natol said there are about 20 dogs currently under his care and in need of permanent homes. Dalmatian Rescue takes care of all veterinary checks and inspections in advance.

The Humane Society has announced upcoming microchip days. Microchipping offers permanent identification for pets. Should a dog or cat be lost, a 24-hour-a-day center can provide contact information to anyone who may find the pet. The next session takes place April 21 at the Humane Society’s headquarters located at 3607 N. Armenia Ave. There is no appointment necessary. The cost for microchipping is $15 per pet.

The Humane Society of Tampa Bay’s Web site is located at http://www.humanesocietytampa.org. They can also be reached at 876-7138.

The Dalmatian Rescue of Tampa Bay can be reached at (727) 787-1760.