Local humane and rescue societies will converge Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Chateau Morrisette, the beautiful mountainside winery in Floyd County, for food, fun, and perhaps a taste of wine. This will be the 3rd annual Pet Adoption Day hosted by the winery. From 11 a.m.-4 p.m. there will be wine tasting and music.

This opportunity allows visitors to learn about what they can do to help local animals and animal shelters in need of support. Several area humane societies and animal shelters come together, bringing animals in need of a home, so it’s a good chance for those who have been seriously considering adopting an animal to spend some time with a few potential pets and see which one might be a good fit.

Fun for pets and people alike, Chateau Morrisette boasts the bonus of great wine to go with their sense of civic duty in hoping to attract new pet owners and wine enthusiasts. The winery has been holding public awareness events for awhile, such as Dogs 4 a Cause, where profits are used to fund service dogs that help people with disabilities.

Humane societies are the lookouts and caregivers for animals who have been lost, given away, or just abandoned. Many of these organizations are comprised of volunteers giving their time to seek new and deserving homes for pets. It takes a big heart to do what many of these people do, and coming out to support their causes, and perhaps to save the life of future life-long friend, is all that they ask in return.

“A humane society is about saving animals,” said Rebecca English, Executive Director of the Pulaski County Humane Society.

Rebecca works at the Pulaski County Animal Shelter and Humane Education Center that was opened in April of 2005. Its pristine new center houses the animal control and humane society that both work together in saving animals and finding them good homes. The cat condo is a unique room where the felines interact and play, making an enjoyable space for the public to walk in and see how special a kitty companion can be.

Ensuring the future for lost pets and animals is a busy task for many of the rescue and humane societies that devote their time here in the New River Valley. It is only fitting that they spend a leisurely day with the animals they love in welcoming people to the special atmosphere that Chateau Morrisette has been willing to offer. These volunteers are the real heroes and the voices for those furry little critters that we call man’s best friends.

Are you aware that many animals that are brought without collars or tags are only held for seven days before they are either given away or euthanized? This is a reality that many people choose to ignore, said Rigel Morgan, Vice President of the Floyd County Humane Society.

“People are very limited in knowledge about what goes on at shelters,” Morgan said. Her determination to find and save pets is a contagious attitude that many other volunteers feel. In Floyd County, the animal control center, commonly known as “the pound,” is only open six hours a week due to a lack of staffing.

The daunting task of collecting lost animals is given to a solitary animal control officer for the whole county. Although Morgan’s perseverance saw her help 38 dogs find new homes in 2007 and so far she’s helped save 50 dogs this year already.

Pet Adoption Day will bring new faces and newfound hope for animals and anyone looking for a new and loyal friend. If you’ve been thinking of adopting an animal, visit Chateau Morrisette this weekend for a day of food, fun, music, arts and crafts, and, most importantly, to support the animals that need our help.

Chateau Morrisette is at Milepost 171.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information call 540.593.2865.

Wheatley Stefan is an intern for the New River Voice.