Hundreds of adoptable animals will be hoping for homes this weekend at the PetSmart on Archer Road.
Maddie’s Adoptathon 2013 presents the largest national free pet adoption week in hopes of sparking an interest in people to help animals in need, according to its website.
Several partners with Maddie’s Fund, including Puppy Hill Farm, Animal People Inc. and Helping Hands Rescue, will take part in Maddie’s Pet Adoption Days on Saturday and Sunday.
In Gainesville alone, the number of homeless animals has begun to grow. Wendy Turner, 38, a volunteer for the nonprofit Animal People Inc., said many owners do not spay or neuter their pets.
Some people do not have the funds or the easy access to fix their pet. Alachua County offers no mobile services for reduced rates or free clinics allowing veterinarians to come to the owner, but there are stationary clinics like St. Francis Pet Care.
When animals are not fixed and end up having litters of newborns, owners usually are not equipped to handle large amounts of unplanned births. They bring them to shelters, or in some cases, leave them on the streets.
A black Labrador, pointer and Rottweiler mix named Sadie gave birth to a litter of 14 puppies before the age of 2 and was put up for adoption by her owners.
The puppies were adopted, leaving Sadie in the pound.
“Everyone wants a puppy,” Turner said. “Older dogs are harder to adopt out because they sometimes require extra care and have a shorter life span.”
Kristina Swanson, 23, a nursing student at UF, adopted Sadie from PetSmart in September.
“I fostered Sadie for a week before deciding to adopt her,” Swanson said. “I couldn’t stand the idea of not living with her or the idea of her being put back in the shelter and not being loved by someone.”
When animals are picked up from the streets, they are held for seven days. If they are not claimed within that time, they are put on the list for euthanasia if they are deemed “unadoptable,” said Luke Smith, a volunteer at Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue.
“For every animal adopted from Puppy Hill Farm, it allows us to go to the pound and get one of the animals from the top of the euthanasia list to bring to our shelter,” said the 20-year-old UF animal sciences sophomore.
Katie Ronzon, 21, a UF applied physiology and kinesiology senior, said that breeders typically inbreed the animals, which causes problems down the road.
“In the long run, adopted animals tend to be healthier and have less medical issues than purebreds do,” Ronzon said.
Ronzon adopted a 2-month-old American Staffordshire terrier and pit bull mix named Stella from the Jacksonville Humane Society.
Ronzon said that it’s a fulfilling feeling to save a life — but only for the right person.
“Don’t adopt if you are not ready for the commitment, regardless of the animal or the age,” Ronzon said.
