Puppy Palooza cautioned students Tuesday to think twice before finding a furry friend.
Off Campus Life, part of the Division of Student Affairs at UF, held its third Puppy Palooza at Peabody Hall to assist students who are considering adopting pets.
Nora Kilroy, director of Off Campus Life, said she hoped students would come to the Palooza to relieve stress, to learn about pet ownership and to hopefully volunteer for adoption agencies in the future.
“Alachua County Humane Society has never done this before,” Kilroy said. “So this is going to be a new experience for them.”
Chrissy Sedgley, adoption and foster coordinator at the Alachua County Humane Society, brought two mixed-breed pit bulls and three gray kittens: Quil, Quip and Quinton.
“Probably our biggest hope is to recruit volunteers, recruit fosters or even (increase) adoptions,” Sedgley said.
The Alachua County Humane Society is a no-kill shelter.
“We can’t save animals without the help of the community,” she said.
Trenton Davis, a 21-year-old UF materials science and engineering junior, said he heard about the event through Facebook and went to play with the puppies.
“I want a pet, but I probably won’t get one until I know I can take care of one,” Davis said.
[This story has been changed to reflect the following: The Alachua County Humane Society is a no-kill shelter. A version of this story ran on page 9 on 3/19/2014 under the headline "Group advises would-be pet owners to look past the ‘aww’ factor"]
