Watters Creek Animal Adoptions
by Tricia White
You know the old saying, “A dog is man’s best friend.” Truth be known, research shows that owning a pet can help you live longer and help prevent depression. Who doesn’t love cradling a soft, furry kitten or playing with a sweet little puppy? There’s something inspiring about a loyal pet that stands by your side in every situation. Your pet’s unconditional love can truly be life changing for you, and adoption can be life changing for them. Watters Creek sponsors pet adoptions at the shopping center nearly every week, partnering with local organizations so you can find your lifelong friend and provide a pet with a forever home where they feel safe, secure, and loved.
Adopting can be rewarding for you and your family, and it can literally save the life of a dog, cat, or other pet. Various organizations rescue dogs from puppy mills or abusive situations. Often, a pet is abandoned when its owner becomes ill, dies, cannot care for the animal, or becomes unable to pay for the costs of caring for the pet.
Thankfully, the mission of pet rescue organizations is to save animals from cruelty or from being sent to a kill shelter where they will be euthanized because of overcrowding or because they are too weak to survive. Rescuers foster the pet, similar to fostering a child, until they can be placed in a forever home. Adoption events, such as those held at Watters Creek, help match a pet to a new owner and place them in a loving, nurturing home.
According to J’anna Mann of the League of Animal Protectors (LAP), their monthly Watters Creek meet-and-greet is one of their most popular adoption events. “The Watters Creek management has chosen a prime location for set-up that catches a lot of foot traffic,” says Mann. “This gets our animals a lot of attention which translates into a higher percentage of adoptions.” Mann adds that LAP finds their relationship with Watters Creek Management to be invaluable. “They’re always accommodating to our needs and requests, such as running power to the set-up location for cooling fans during the summer months. Everyone is very supportive and generous with us. We couldn’t ask for a better partnership.”
Molly Peterson, President/Director of the Legacy Humane Society (LHS) agrees, “The partnership with Watters Creek is an event we look forward to every month. The location, the demographic of adopters, and the relationships we’ve built with many of the restaurants and shops have been instrumental in our ability to showcase, educate, fundraise, and adopt to many families in the area.” Peterson adds that the program has been a success, not only for pet adoptions, but also because the events hosted at Watters Creek help generate awareness and raise funds for LHS.
Donna Steibel, Director of Communications for the DFW Labrador Retriever Rescue Club, an organization dedicated to rescuing and re-homing Labrador Retrievers in North Texas, says the club is grateful to Eddie Bauer and the Watters Creek management for allowing them to promote their available Labs. In their 19 years of incorporation, the club has saved over 2700 Labs.
While the DFW Lab Rescue does not do on-site adoptions, they do a “Meet ‘n Greet” so that potential adopters can meet the Labs. “This event is also to showcase our organization and to meet people who may be interested in helping us with our mission to save Labs,” says Steibel. “Since we don’t have a physical location, volunteers who are willing to foster a Lab in their home are always needed.”
Pet Adoption Event Schedule
DFW Lab Rescue: Meet ‘n Greet, 1st Saturday of each month
Location: Market Street, next to Eddie Bauer
Time: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Legacy Humane Society: 2nd Saturday of each month
Location: Market Street, on the patio next to Frogg Coffee Bar & Creperie
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
League of Animal Protectors (LAP): Meet adoptable pets on the 4th Saturday of each month
Location: Market Street, on the patio next to Frogg Coffee Bar & Creperie
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Please check the Watters Creek website for time changes or cancellations due to weather.
Resources: laprescue.rescueme.org, LegacyHumaneSociety.org, DFWLabRescue.org