A NATIONAL pet adoption day event at PETstock Bendigo on Saturday has been hailed a barking success.
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Seventeen cats and dogs found new homes, with rescue group Jemima's Gift receiving several expressions of interest from potential foster carers.
The group runs monthly pet adoptions day, but this was by far one of the most successful, according to treasurer Kerry Lockwood.
"It was a wonderful day - from it we have adopted seven dogs and 10 kittens," she said.
"Some went to local Bendigo families and there were some families travel up from Melbourne.
"Two of our dogs went back to Melbourne (on Saturday) and we have some people coming in (Sunday) to pick up animals.
"They were people who had weddings and other arrangements and couldn't make it on the day."
Ms Lockwood said the group had been swamped with interest during the day.
“We were on the go from the time we got there,” she said.
“We were due to start at 10am, but arrived about half an hour before then and were flat-out all day. The crowd was fantastic.
“A lot of people came looking to take animals home, telling us they would rather adopt an animal and give them a home.”
Equally satisfying, the group – which is less than a year old – picked itself up a few extra volunteers to help with fundraising.
“We even had a beautiful family turn up and give us a big boot-loaf full of food for the animals. It was a fantastic day all-round,” Ms Lockwood said.
The event was one of 100 run at PETstock stores across the nation, including Castlemaine and Echuca.
The initiative is led by PETstock’s charity foundation PETstock Assist, in partnership with not-for-profit animal rescue groups like Jemima's Gift.
It aims to raise awareness of pet adoption and encourage people to consider giving a rescue pet a forever home.
PETstock chief executive officer Shane Young said 236 pets found homes during last year’s event, with organisers hoping to at least match that figure on Saturday.
Ms Lockwood said the group was grateful for the ongoing support of manager Cam Hyatt and his staff at PETstock.
Jemima's Gift has a permanent enclosure at the Golden Square-based store, with pets available for adoption throughout the week.
For more information, visit the Jemima's Gift Facebook page.