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| - I attended their 3rd annual family-friendly / pet-friendly (many dogs in attendance were very gleeful to be out & about away from the usual home environment- some wouldn't sit still for a picture) ;) ).Block Party last Friday held at their parking lot (there was a sign directing attendees to park across the street by GateWay Community College- free). They had booths, food trucks, DJs, a runway show, and available adoptions. They had a Drip mobile service that offered B-12 shots for dogs. Proceeds from the vendors' donation buckets went to benefit the animals. The event was held from 5 PM to 8 PM. The shelter stayed open late so that attendees and potential adopters could have time to walk around the block party and look at the dogs and cats inside the shelter building. I was happy to be there in show of support so that those animals could get the care they deserve :)
Booths: pet food / misc., pet blessings (love this one), pet psychic, DJs providing (loud) music, caricature drawing (including your pets), face painting for kids, bounce house for kids, and backyard-type games like Connect 4,,Jensa, bean bag toss. The evening was capped with a runway show where models and their dogs available for adoption strutted down the turf catwalk.
I visited the beautiful new building (that faces 40th St) for the first time since they moved from their old one that faced Washington Ave, where I used to visit in the 1990s and fostered cats by donating funds for the volunteers to care for them at the shelter. During the block party, I stopped by the cattery and played with the adorable cats, who were very friendly and social, and not the least bit timid or sassy ;) There were plexiglass cages to prevent the spread of infection, that you could open up without the clanging sound of the metal like other shelters that make cats uncomfortable, and also the cat condos for interaction. They also had Purell dispensers that you could use between touching each cat. BTW, the Easter decorations were cute. Sadly, I didn't have the time to also stop by the dog house in the adjacent building ("Sonia Breslow"). There's also a little boutique that looked like it used to be an office. I got too carried away from the block party. The staff and volunteers in attendance were professional and accommodating, and seemed to like working there and even staying up later to tend to the block party (which was alot of work to put together, I bet) and potential adoptions. There was alot to see and going on. The no-kill shelter was founded in 1971 by actress Amanda Blake ("Miss Kitty" of TV's Gunsmoke) and has remained the first & largest shelter in Arizona. In 2005, AAWL merged with the SPCA.
For $15 color (other options: $10 b/w face, $20 color face & body), I had a caricaturist (Kerr-toon) draw my face and my vintage AAWL T-shirt and he did a great job. I told the AAWL volunteer at the pet blessings booth that I had my cat Melody blessed in the past [2013 @ Franciscan Renewal Center in PV)] and that Melody (who's a typical tortie Persian) will be 17 years of age and doing well (like hinting that perhaps the blessing prolonged her life span). I didn't bring my Shih Tzu, Romeo Blu, because it was rather warm that day- even while partly sunny. Romeo is in full coat ;) Plus, since it was my first time there, I wanted to check it out first before bringing my dog there. Maybe next year (and hope they select a cooler day of the month, like early April. Last year, the event was held in May). The event was organized and the parking lot was big enough to fit everyone- including the pets. The vendors didn't charge an outrageous price for their service and were friendly and polite. Thanks for the great evening and hospitality. Keep up your good work. I know the animals there appreciated our time ;)
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