With the rub of his belly and the scratch of his back, gentle George groaned with pleasure as he dropped and rolled around on the pet store’s carpeted showroom floor.
Life is good and promising for this powerful, friendly 10-month-old pit bull, a rescue dog, thanks to the quick actions of Nikki Johnson.
The kind-hearted Auburn pet groomer spotted George and his mother running down I-5 one day. She promptly pulled over, opened the back door of her vehicle and the dogs jumped in.
“Nikki literally rescued them. They were certainly going to be hit,” said Auburn’s Heather Enajibi, president of Animals First Foundation, a nonprofit rescue organization that works with individuals, animal shelters and organizations to preserve and care for animals.
Enajibi and Johnson became friends and working partners who care for dogs of all sizes and shapes. They will work in tandem April 25 at Tiki Tails Dog Salon in Auburn at a special Sunday-only adopt-a-thon for rescue dogs, proceeds of which will support Enajibi’s foundation, and operators of Motley Zoo and Puget Sound Dog & Goat Rescue.
“We’re all big animal lovers, so we like to try to help out the rescue as much as possible,” said Johnson, one of the groomers at Mike and Michele Sisk’s successful salon off 11th and A Street Southeast. “We’re taking a busy day to help raise money, help rescue (organizations) and help socialize the dogs with people.”
About 40 dogs, young and old, will be available for adoption from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each dog is vaccinated, spayed or neutered and microchipped. Adoption fees will vary.
Events such as these help groups connect with the public and promote business. They also raise awareness and money for the foundations, which need help covering operational costs and vet bills.
“We also want to change the public misperceptions about rescue dogs,” Enajibi said. “With a shelter animal, there’s got to be something wrong with it, which is completely false.”
Some shelters and rescue groups, like Animals First Foundation, also carefully work and match good families for bully breeds. Such dogs, like pit bulls, can be loving animals if placed in the right environment, Enajibi said. Not all bully breeds are bad, she said, especially if the dog is properly cared for and placed in the right situation.
Adoption events work. Enajibi’s foundation rescued 55 dogs a year ago and is on pace to secure suitable homes for more dogs this year.
“We just keep working to find that perfect home,” she said.
For Michael Sisk, the event
is a great opportunity to find homes for dogs and support a good cause.
“This is important to us. This is what we’re about,” he said.
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Dog adoption
• When:
• Where: Tiki Tails, 106 11th St. SE, Suite A, Auburn.
• What: Animal First Foundation, Motley Zoo and Puget Sound Dog & Goat Rescue will provide 40 dogs for adoption. Public is welcome. Raffling prizes. Tickets $1. Do not have to be present to win. Taking appointments for grooming dogs. Proceeds will benefit the three on-site rescue organizations.
• Information: Call Michele Sisk or Nikki Johnson at 253-288-1199.
