North Shore Animal League's 2025 Tour For Life makes a stop in Ohio Township
The North Shore Animal League's 2025 Tour For Life will span 67 cities and 39 states, and on Sunday, it made a stop in western Pennsylvania at Animal Friends in Ohio Township.
Jeanette Murray came out with the first adoption of the day.
"We found each other pretty quick, then it's meant to be," Murray, of Ross Township, said.
She is bringing home Wompuscat. That name might not last long.
"I think it's gonna be changed to Tinkerbell," Murray said.
Either way, that and the scene on Sunday excited Karisa Fernandez.
"This is our first large-scale adoption event in over five years," Fernandez, the special events coordinator at Animal Friends, said. "That's since before the pandemic."
Animal Friends is the western Pennsylvania representative for the 2025 Tour For Life.
"Animal Friends has welcomed us. They welcomed our mobile unit. We're gonna put some of their adoptable animals on there," Kathleen Lynn, senior director of North Shore Animal League America, said.
That they did. Not all the animals there on Sunday call Animal Friends home.
"We've even transferred some in from our partner shelters," Fernandez said.
But from rabbits eating grass to napping cats, the goal was simple: to get as many pets out of the shelter as possible.
"Every time you adopt, you save two lives," Lynn said. "The one you take home, the one we can rescue and put in its place."
For the people at North Shore Animal League America, this 39-state tour is nearing its end.
"This is our wrap-up weekend, and we couldn't think of doing it in a better place," Lynn said.
It was perfect timing for Murray. She was looking for a companion for her handicapped son.
"He hasn't been ready for a puppy for a very long time [since] his passed away," she said.
Animal Friends hopes it can do more of these bigger-type adoption events in the future.
