Lubbock’s serious problem with stray dogs sparks successful dog adoption event

Nosie, before she left for her new home. Staff photo.

Angelica Cirerol noticed lots of stray dogs during occasional business trips to Lubbock.

“My colleague once stopped the car in the middle of the highway to avoid hitting a dog. We realized this was a common occurrence in Lubbock,” she said, adding, “It broke my heart.”

Cirerol thought of her own best friend, her lab Bubba, and decided to do something.

Related story: More dogs expected to be put down by city amid hike in dog attacks

The regional marketing director for Optimum – an Internet, phone and television provider – worked with colleagues to put on a pet adoption event Saturday at Optimum’s South Quaker store.

Four out of five dogs – Tubby, O’Reilly, Screech, Nosie and Dory – found homes Saturday at the event partnered with the Lubbock Animal Shelter & Adoption Center.

The store was filled with balloons, raffle prizes and dog treats donated from local dog bakeries and groomers. As customers came in, they were met with furry faces, big eyes and the occasional bark.

Chris Gonzales and Nilla Ramirez wandered into the store around lunchtime. Before they could make it to the cell phone display, they were distracted by Nosie. She was fourth in the row of five dogs and one of the older ones. As the puppies jumped and squeaked, Nosie stood calmly looking up at Chris and Nilla.

A few minutes later, adoption papers were being signed.

“People just dump dogs on the roads around here. It’s not right, they don’t deserve that. It’s our responsibility to take care of them because they’re our best friends and they love us unconditionally,” Gonzales said.

As Nosie posed for photographs, her tail began to wag as if she knew she was going home.

“This is actually shocking to me; I’ve never had this many adoptions in the first hour,” said Kelsey Ross, a shelter employee. “I always see our little ones go before our big ones. So the fact that all three of our big dogs left before our little ones makes me happy.”

O’Reilly was another dog adopted within the first hour.

“O’Reilly came in (to the shelter) back in February, so seeing him finally get adopted makes my heart happy. It’s bittersweet because I won’t see him anymore, but he finally has a home, so it’s a good day,” Ross said.

Ross was joined by colleague Cheyenna Kline, a new employee and college student studying pre-veterinary medicine. She hopes to transfer from South Plains College to Texas Tech University and get into its School of Veterinary Medicine.

“I have a deep passion for animals, I’ve rescued my entire life,” Kline said.

The majority of dogs coming to the shelter are strays, Kline said, estimating less than 25 percent of the animals are owner-surrenders, but they see those too. Of those owners who surrender, she says most are because the owner has become ill, the owner is going to jail, or they have money problems and cannot care for their pet.

Slideshow: adoption event in Lubbock. Staff photos.

Kline looked at Tubby, going home with an Optimum employee. Tubby is six years old and came in as an owner-surrender.

While Tubby is initially shy, once he comes out of his shell, he’s a sweet dog who actually gives hugs, Kline said.

“Tubby deserves this more than anyone in my opinion,” Kline said.

Natalie Walper, Optimum’s area human resources manager and Albert Herevia, store manager, worked with Cirerol to create the event.

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Author: Lucy GreenbergLucy Greenberg earned a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Strategic Communication & Innovation from Texas Tech and is currently earning an M.A. in Nonfiction Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She is also a stringer for the Washington Post.