A new Pet Place celebration draws big crowd

Plenty of pet enthusiasts packed The Pet Place at Wednesday's "Ribbon Biting" when cold weather forced the open house indoors.

Nevertheless, 100-plus people attended the event, which showcased the new 3,200-square foot facility on 2.84 acres of land with the capacity to house approximately 30 homeless cats and dogs available for adoption.

"I'm just so excited that everybody came out," said Sally Socia, president of Humane Society of Harrison County.

Several elected officials were on hand for the event, including Harrison County Judge Richard Anderson, who coached a reluctant yellow Labrador retriever named Sadie to bite the ribbon.

"This is a huge step for the Harrison County Humane Society," Anderson said.

"We applaud your work and all the good things you have done and the good things you will do," he told Ms. Socia.

Sadie, made something of a celebrity by her role in the ceremony, was one of The Pet Place's occupants until the sweet-tempered canine was recently adopted by volunteer Jack Gray and his wife.

"I think it's wonderful," Gray said of the open house. "It just means that we can do twice the job we were doing before to save some of the animals."

The Pet Place is working in conjunction with Marshall Animal Shelter to get pets adopted and spayed and neutered, Ms. Socia said, and the two agencies do cross-advertising.

Ms. Socia added that since The Pet Place has been open Jan. 1, "it's already become a hub for people interested in animals," she said.

Guests who visit The Pet Place look for friendly animals to adopt in the puppy room, the room for large dogs and the "Catery" where felines live in cat condos and where animal-theme paintings for sale by local artists adorn the walls.

But they also hang out in the facility's education room and bring their children to simply look at the animals, according to Ms. Socia.

So it was no surprise that open house attendees strolled casually from room to room, greeting each other and the pets inside.

Good Neighbor Day Care brought nine of its pre-kindergartners to participate in the festivities.

"I liked the cats," announced five-year-old Alex Perez while many of his classmates nodded in agreement.

"They're big," four-year-old Nia Garrett added with wide eyes.

Indeed, one of the bigger cats, aptly named "Don Juan" caught the eye of some of the guests and he was adopted, along with another cat and at least one dog.

Adoption fees are $65 for cats and $95 for dogs and include the required spay or neuter of the animal, rabies vaccination and disease inoculation.

Anyone who is interested in adopting, volunteering or more information can contact The Pet Place, 1901 Jefferson Ave., at (903) 938-PAWS (7297).

"We've hit the ground running," said Ms. Socia. "...and that's what we intended — to be a community place."

Source: www.marshallnewsmessenger.com