Thirteen tumbling, rambunctious, cuddlable and kissable puppies will be up for adoption at Domestic Animal Services' open day on Saturday, the first one held in five years.
COVID lockdowns and renovations at the Mugga Lane site have meant an open day was put on the backburner. Until now.
And DAS is making up for lost time, with plenty of activities planned for the whole family on Saturday. And the chance to bring a new member of the family back home at the end of the day.
DAS assistant director Jackie Gardner said 13 Staffy-cross puppies and 30 older dogs would all be available for adoption at the open day. The mothers of the puppies were surrendered, with DAS quickly discovering they were pregnant.
"When we did their medical assessment, they looked like they could be pregnant and we did the ultrasound and that confirmed it," she said.
The puppies, from two litters, will be vaccinated, ready to take home.
"They can all go home that day. They've just got to go through the normal adoption process," Ms Gardner said.
"We'll talk to them about suitability, other animals, children and so forth. But the sooner they find their new homes, the better."
FIRST OPEN DAY IN FIVE YEARS
The Domestic Animal Services' open day is 10am to 2pm on Saturday.
There will be stalls, a barbecue, pet and human treats, face painting and an opportunity to meet staff and volunteers.
There will be a chance to meet the dogs up close in the exercise yard.
Domestic Animal Services rehomes hundreds of dogs each year and helps families reunite with their lost dogs. On average, it re-homes 98 per cent of impounded dogs in the ACT.
Ms Gardner was looking forward to explaining the work of DAS at the first public open day since 2018, "to showcase to the community what we've been doing at DAS and the improvements we've been making".
"They'll have access to inside to see all the dogs available for adoption. The RSPCA will be out here, ARF (ACT Rescue and Foster) will be here, Canberra Lost Pet Database will be out here as well," she said.
IT'S ALL ABOUT FINDING A FOREVER HOME
Ms Gardner said everyone at DAS worked hard to ensure each dog found their forever home.
"I guess the misconception is that we have time limits for dogs up for adoption and that's not the case," she said.
"Once a dog is up for adoption, and passes its behavioural assessment and medical assessment, then they'll be with us until they find their forever home. And there's a lot of people out there who don't know we have dogs up for adoption as well. This month we've already had 21 adoptions and we're hoping to end it on a really big high."
DETAILS FOR THE DAY
- The Domestic Animal Services' open day is on Saturday from 10am to 2pm at the DAS headquarters at 92 Mugga Lane, Symonston.
- There is free parking on-site.
- Please note, you cannot bring your own dog to this event.
- More details at www.cityservices.act.gov.au
