Sometimes the Universe just clicks into place. Coinciding with the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and the arrival of his pet German Shepherd, “Major,” to the White House, comes the unexpected arrival of six German Shepherds to the Pasadena Humane Society.
And they’ll be available for adoption beginning this weekend.
“We’re really excited about Major Biden moving into the White House,” said Humane Society President/CEO Dia DuVernet Friday.
“I think it’s created a lot of interest in German shepherds,” she continued, adding that the Humane Society’s new Shepherds “Don’t need the White House, they just need any house, a good home. “
DuVernet also noted that “‘Major’ is the first shelter pet that has ever occupied the White House.”
The Bidens adopted him from a shelter, she explained, saying, “I think he’s going to be a great ambassador for other shelter pets. It’s wonderful to see that adoption has become the way many, many people acquire their pets.”
DuVernet also pointed out that her own dog is a shelter rescue dog.
Interestingly, at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Human Society actually moved its rescue pets into “foster homes,” where they lived before being formally adopted by new families.
Interested pet parents can now set up a phone appointment with a Humane Society adoption counselor and discuss available animals to come up with a good match. The foster family will then return the animal back for the adoptive family to be able to adopt.
DuVernet explained that the Society wanted to avoid overcrowding at the shelter when the pandemic first struck.
“We got the pets out into foster homes,” she said, of the ongoing program, “It’s actually proving to be a really great model for keeping pets in homes.”
DuVernet also stressed that the pandemic has “brought a lot of challenges,” but has brought some positive changes to the ways in which the Humane Society is handling adoptions.
‘We are doing things that we may want to continue even after the pandemic is over, because it’s definitely better for the pets to be in a home than to be in the shelter,” she said. “This model where they’re spending time before adoption with foster families and then going into adoptive families is just a really great model, which we hope we can continue.”
She also acknowledged the uniqueness of having six German Shpeherds available at one time, especially with one moving into the White House.
“It’s a nice coincidence we have all these German shepherds,” said DuVernet, saying, “They’re just a really great breed, very loyal and smart.”
Her own first family pet was a German shepherd mix, she said, and noted, “They just really make great pets.
As for the Shepherds themselves, there are two 4-year-old sisters, “April”and “May,” along with another set of sisters, “Lika” and “Mia, both five-year-old shepherd mixes. There is also a five-year-old male, named “Shadow,” along with a 7-year-old named “Maya.”
Given the restraints of the pandemic, the Humane Society posts its new adoption appointments on its website, Sundays at 10:00 AM.
“People can just go online and sign up for an adoption counseling spot to have a phone conversation with an adoption counselor, said DuVernet. “We’ll talk over all of our adoptable pets!”
Taking the long view, DuVernet added that the Humane Society “has seen a lot of challenges recently, but it’s seen a lot of positives too, so it’s nice when we have a good story, like ‘Major,’ to help inspire interest in more people adopting shelter pets. We’re just really excited about that.”
