2022 HIGHLIGHTS

In 2022, Pet Alliance was able to help thousands of animals through its shelters and clinics. Whether it was providing lifesaving medical care, vaccines and wellness services, or temporary shelter for homeless animals, Pet Alliance staff and volunteers were ready to help out. Here are a couple of highlights from the year.

Beagle Rescue

In July 2022, news broke of 4,000 beagles being rescued from a mass-breeding facility in Virginia riddled with animal welfare concerns. Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando is one of the many agencies that have partnered with the Humane Society of the United States to rescue these dogs and help them find homes.

Staff traveled to Virginia to pick up the dogs and returned late on a Friday evening with 15 beagles. Upon arriving at Pet Alliance, the dogs received their initial doses of preventative care and were tested for heartworms. The unique personality of each dog was apparent as the staff weighed, fed, and examined them. A blend of sweetness, curiosity, and nervousness was a common theme for all 15 beagles. Pet Alliance is proud to be one of the agencies helping to give these animals the lives they deserve.

After 16 Months, Sheba Finds a Home

Sheba arrived at Pet Alliance on July 28, 2021. Most of her life had been spent outdoors, and as a slightly older and larger mixed breed dog, we knew it might take a bit longer to find her forever home. She had some limitations on the type of home she could go to and a lingering knee injury from being hit by a car that was causing her discomfort. It’s easy to understand why she needed some extra time and patience. In addition to providing her daily care and enrichment, Pet Alliance also coordinated a special surgery to address her leg injury. Finally, in November 2022, the right adopter came along in a gentleman named Randy.

From Randy

I was looking for a rescue just like her. One who’d been there a while, that nobody wanted. Hopefully a senior dog. I think dogs give so much of themselves to their owners, when they’re then abandoned it breaks my heart. I just want to give back to them what they so freely gave. So, for me, it didn’t matter what breed, or if they were a puppy or large or small. In that sense, I didn’t really pick her, she picked me!

Our first encounter was at Pet Alliance Sanford, and she was brought out to me in a large outdoor kennel. She approached me and asked for some pets, and then sat beside me for a while and enjoyed some attention. She even reached up and gave me some kisses — which I didn’t expect! I was told her story and knew that she was exactly what I’d hoped to find.

We’ve had some challenges; it’s not easy for her to adjust from nearly a year and a half in a kennel with all the other dogs, all the things going on — to being inside a quiet home. So, we try to be patient with each other.

She enjoys laying out in the sun in the backyard. I think I’m happiest when I see her frolicking in the yard, playing with toys, and soaking in the sun. She seems content, and that makes me happy. I may have been a little long winded, but I hope Sheba’s story encourages others to take a chance on an older dog. They won’t regret it.

On September 27, Pet Alliance staff, board, volunteers and community members joyfully celebrated the grand opening of the Downtown Cat Shelter. Located in the heart of Orlando, the facility operates as a cat shelter and a hub for our Orlando foster program. The space also includes a shelter medical suite where Dr. Andersen can perform surgeries and provide other lifesaving care to shelter cats. In the first four months, 504 cats were adopted from the facility, and we anticipate hundreds more will find their forever home in 2023.