Courtesy of Juliannah Muyiwa
Ever wanted to enjoy yourself with a glass of wine while playing with dogs all day? The Animal Shelter Foundation of Tallahassee and The Edison restaurant made it possible Feb. 6 at The Edison’s patio.
Valentine’s Bark & Wine was an event from 4-7 p.m. for adults to mix and mingle with potential dogs to adopt.
Lauren Perlman, vice president of ASF, confirmed that two dogs were adopted. Perlman said Brewster had been waiting a while for adoption.
“(He) had been waiting at the shelter forever for a home for over two months. (He’s) one of the longest residents there,” Perlman said.
Bark & Wine also had a kissing booth where visitors could donate money to get a kiss from one of the dogs. They raised $335.
Melinda McDaniel, catering and sales manager at The Edison, proposed the idea of hosting the event to Chef John Minas. Minas made complimentary homemade dog biscuits to give out.
The form of promotion for the event was through social media and word of mouth.
Perlman and McDaniel plan to host the event again in April.
“This is the first time we’ve done it and we’re talking about maybe doing it every few months,” Perlman said.
They would like to incorporate different themes each time they host the event again in the future.
Jamal El-Amin, fourth-year business administration student from Ft. Lauderdale, said he’s definitely going to the next event,
“If they have the event again in April I would definitely be down to go. Sipping wine and playing with a potential pet sounds like a good time,” El-Amin said.
Even if you are not in the position to care for a dog long-term, ASF has a fostering program where you can temporarily host an animal.
According to the City of Tallahassee’s website, anyone who is at least 18 years old with enough room to spare can foster.
Any personal animals within the home already would have to have up-to-date vaccines, be sprayed or neutered and approval from landlord for rented properties. Even college students can foster animals that fit into their schedule.
The Animal Service Center staff would cover veterinary care and expenses.
For those that do not wish to foster nor adopt, but would like to lend a hand you can volunteer with ASF at the shelter or from home.a
For more information on fostering or volunterring visit http://www.talgov.com/animals/animals-foster.aspx or http://animalshelterfoundation.org/help/volunteer/.