Fairfax Shelter Marks St. Patrick's Day With Weekend Adoption Event

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Erin Johnson got more than she bargained for when she volunteered to foster a pregnant dog who'd been picked up by Fairfax County Animal Protection Police in early February.

"I brought her home on Friday night and she gave birth on Monday morning," Johnson said. "She came in as a pregnant stray to the shelter."

One-year-old Junie give birth to 10 puppies, who have recently been divided into pairs and shared with other fosters, according to Johnson. They'll soon be available for adoption, as will their mother, once she fully recovers from giving birth and is spayed.

One-year-old Junie and some of the her puppies visited the police officers and fire personnel at the Fairfax County Fairfax County Public Safety Headquarters on Tuesday. The visit was timed to raise awareness of the shelter's St. Patrick's Day adoption promotion.

"We're trying to draw attention to the fact that the shelter has experienced a 40 percent increase in dog intakes over the last few months," said shelter director Reasa Currier. "We're encouraging the public to come out and adopt."

From Friday through Sunday, potential adopters who visit the shelter at 4500 West Ox Road in Fairfax will test their luck drawing from a pot of gold, which will allow them to choose adoption fees ranging from $5 to $25.

"We have amazing dogs that are just waiting for a family to come and talk to them," Currier said. "We're hoping people will come out and adopt."

Since December, the number of surrendered animals has significantly increased, putting a strain on the shelter's resources.

"We want to remind people that the shelter is here with many resources to support the community and keeping their pets in their home," Currier said. "We don't want to be the last call. We want to be the first call. If they need help with veterinary care, if they need help with behavior support, we want to provide them whatever support and resources we can."

As the number of animals increase at the shelter, so does the need for volunteers.

"We have a very robust group of volunteers," Currier said. "In fact, we had our volunteers contribute over 15,000 hours of time last year, which was a huge help. We also were able to move over half of our animal population into foster homes last year. We always have opportunities for people to foster or to volunteer if they're interested."

More information about volunteer opportunities and animal adoptions are available on the Fairfax County Animal Shelter's website.