Pet adoption program visits Carson

IF YOU GO:

Next feline adoption day - March 11

At the Carson City Library, 900 North Roop St.

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fee of $45 includes all vaccinations, spaying or neutering costs and testing

Prospective owners are interviewed prior to adoption

If you have a cat or dog for someone to adopt, call the Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe in advance at 832-4404 for information.

Contact information:

Telephone (775) 832-4404

Web site: www.petnetwork.org

An initial visit to the Carson City Library by a village group that promotes pet adoptions was a success Saturday, a representative said, even if only three cats showed up to be adopted out.

And, though one library patron complained Friday that she was allergic to cats and the animals should not be permitted in the building, no complaints were received by the library about the activity.

The Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe had received a number of calls from Carson City about accepting pets for adoption, network board member Merideth Meiling said, so the group scheduled the cat adoption day at the library Saturday.

Local cat owners who had called the Incline group's office seeking new homes for their pets were to bring them before the event began, she said, but only three cats were available by the 10 a.m. opening. All three had new owners by 11.

"That's OK, because we are taking people's names and will be looking for cats for them at shelters and among the animals people want to adopt out," Meiling said. "And we'll be back for another adoption day next month."

Friday, a woman approached library staffers with her concern that allowing the cats in would be discriminatory against people like her who are allergic to cats. When she was told the event would take place as planned, the woman said she would approach the city supervisors, possibly to cut the library's funding.

Saturday, according to a library staffer at its information desk, no complaints of any kind were received about the adoption day activities, which were held in the library's auditorium.

Library director Sally Edwards said the event had been cleared by the city health department and its risk management officials.

The Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe was formed in 1991 to promote pet adoption in preference to euthanasia, Meiling said. The non-profit group's members and staff obtain cats and dogs from animal shelters and private owners, mainly in the Lake Tahoe area, Truckee and Reno.

The animals are medically evaluated and implanted with an identification microchip, receive vaccinations as needed and spayed or neutered as necessary, Meiling said. The cats and dogs are then taken into homes for a period to socialize them and see what type of environment they are suited for, she said.

"Besides adoptions, we do a lot of education about neutering. And we have an emergency veterinary care subsidy, if people cannot afford treatment when, say, a dog is hit by a car," she said.

The Pet Network of North Lake Tahoe is halfway through construction of its own facility at Incline Village. Private grants and donations from individuals funded that project, Meiling said.

The group works with animal shelter staffs and other organizations like the Nevada Humane Society, both in finding homes for animals and educating pet owners. Meiling said she anticipates working with the Carson City Humane Society, which has recently formed.

Several dozen people visited the library, most hoping to adopt a cat, network program assistant Adam Hulme said. Many left their names to be called as more cats are available.

"When we do an adoption day, its not unusual for over a hundred people to come in to look and maybe adopt," Hulme said. "We'll be back March 11."

Meiling said that, if the weather is suitable, the network may bring dogs along and display them outside. Additional adoption days will be scheduled if response in Carson City is favorable, she said.

"One thing we do is try and find a specific type of pet for people, like if they want a long-haired cat of a certain color or age," Meiling said. "We don't do much with purebreds, but lots of people want certain types of mixes.

"We've always had a firm policy that any animal we adopt out has to be spayed or neutered. Now that's a state law for all pet adoptions. "