Abandoned Pets Put Up for Adoption

By Olga Kalashnikova

The St. Petersburg Times

Published: March 20, 2013 (Issue # 1751)

FOR spt Tori found a new family at last year’s ‘Road Home’ adoption fair.

St. Petersburg residents in search of a new pet have the ideal chance to snap up a furry friend this weekend at the Burevestnik Cultural Center in the city’s Nevsky district.

The city’s Rzhevka shelter for homeless animals is holding its “Road Home” adoption fair at the venue on Saturday, at which city residents will have an opportunity to adopt a new pet. About 25 dogs and 45 cats will be looking for homes at the event.

The shelter reports that all the dogs at the adoption fair will be of larger breeds. Due to a lack of demand for large dogs in the city, it is often difficult to find homes for the breeds which stand above knee-height.

The shelter also aims to assist disabled pets in finding homes. At this week’s fair, for example, visitors have the chance to adopt a blind dog that is looking for a family.

The shelter ensures that all of the pets available for adoption have been vaccinated and spayed or neutered.

A number of similar charity events for abandoned and stray pets have been held in the past at the city’s Loft Project Etazhi cultural center. Inspired by the success of the events at Loft Project Etazhi, the Rzhevka shelter has been holding its own “Road Home” events since 2010.

The aim of the shelter is not simply to find a home for the animals in its care but also to ensure that prospective owners are apable of providing their new pet with the care that the animal deserves. To adopt a dog or a cat, adoptive owners are interviewed and must prove that they live in St. Petersburg, have a job and own their own apartment. Renters must provide proof that the owners of their apartments allow pets. There are also age restrictions in place.

“We restrict the age of adoptive owners to between 27 and 55 years old. We put the upper age limit in place to avoid cases where people of too advanced an age want to take a pet. But we also understand that it could prove difficult for them to dedicate the next 15-20 years to the care of a cat,” said Victoria Kuzminskaya, the general manager of the Rzhevka shelter.

“If a person wants to take a pet home directly from the exhibition, he or she must have a special pet carrier for cats and a leash and collar for dogs. It is also necessary that they have arranged transport to take the pet to its new home. Otherwise we don’t let the animals leave our care,” said Kuzminskaya.

Yet even if a person meets all of the qualifications to prove themselves worthy of a pet, it is still not the end of the story. Shelter workers continue to follow the fates of animals that have been adopted, and can ask for photos or call and visit the new owners to be sure a dog or cat is being properly cared for.

This year’s event is the fifth such adoption fair to be held by the Rzhevka shelter since 2010. According to the general manager, the number of people applying for pets has fallen every year.

“I don’t know why it happens. Maybe we are running out of ‘good people.’ Our fair is a chance to show that there are lots of beautiful pets that need love and need to find a family and a home,” said Kuzminskaya.

One of the ‘good people’ that Kuzminskaya is talking about is Yekaterina Shitikova, who dropped into last year’s exhibition on the second day just to have a look around but ended up adopting a cat she fell in love with at the event.

“After our cat’s death, my husband and I couldn’t even think about getting a new pet for more than a year. A month before the ‘Road Home’ adoption fair we had begun to look for a new kitten, but were having trouble finding one. Just then my husband happened to notice a poster for the show and we decided to have a look. We ended up finding Tori,” said Shitikova.

“We were a little apprehensive about taking an adult cat, but we haven’t had any problems. A shelter worker helped us with understanding the cat’s behavior and looking after her health. I’m so grateful to the shelter for helping us to find the wonderful new friend that I had been looking for for so long,” she said.

Shitikova is going to visit this year’s “Road Home” event with plans to volunteer at the show and also, perhaps, find a new friend for her cat.

Organizers have arranged a free shuttle bus to ferry visitors to the cultural center from the Prospekt Bolshevikov metro station. Buses will leave both ends of the route every 15 minutes throughout the event.

The ‘Road Home’ adoption fair takes place Sat. March 23 at the Burevestnik Cultural Center, 38 Podvoiskogo Ulitsa. Tel. 583 1486. M: Prospekt Bolshevikov. More information on sheter programs is available from www.dogs-rzv.spb.ru