Locals and community members strolled around Kiesel Park on Saturday with their four-legged friends as the sun beat down and the wind blew.
With such an audience, three dogs were adopted in the first 45 minutes.
Taking the place of Woofstock, Puppy Palooza has become a popular event in the community. Put on by the Lee County Humane Society, this annual fundraiser raises money for the shelter and the homeless animals of the Auburn-Opelika area.
“We are trying to promote good pet ownership,” said Foster Coordinator Bailey Ray. “We want people to know we are here as a resource, even if you are not adopting — anything we can do to help people keep their pets.”
Several side events at Puppy Palooza included demonstrations, a silent auction, a costume contest, a question and answer session with an expert, bouncy
Zoe’s Kitchen and Snow Cones offered food for the crowd.
Different vendors set up booths with everything from a dog treat decorating station to home decor.
“Most of the vendors are people who genuinely love pets and just wanted to be here and celebrate with us,” Ray said.
The most popular area was the adoption center, a large white tent with air conditioning.
While the cool air was pleasant for the adopters, the tent was more famous for the dogs and cats of all shapes and sizes that visitors could play with.
Volunteers were there to help with any questions about the pets.
Another popular station was the paw print station. Dog owners could get a free paw print of their dog made from tie-dye paint placed onto a white piece of cardstock.
All the proceeds from the event went to the Humane Society, even from the vendors, Ray said.
This year there was a station set up where patrons could tie-dye their own shirts after purchasing them with their own colors.
“We always see the event T-shirts around town and it is exciting,” Ray said.
The event is a success every year, Ray said. He said this year was even more special because of the ammount of adoptions.
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