As 4-year-old Nicholas sat on the floor at the Alachua County Animal Services Department, 10-week-old Oso crawled into his lap.
“We had been thinking about getting him a puppy for awhile now,” Jennifer Jurs said about her son's new black Labrador mix. “This is all for him.”
Oso was just one of the pets adopted from Alachua County Animal Services' quarterly Open House Saturday afternoon.
The open house includes booths from local organizations as well as a 50 percent discount on all adoption fees to encourage adoptions.
“If Valentine's Day didn't work out for you this year, Animal Services has something for you,” Hilary Hynes, public education program coordinator, said of the Valentine's Day-themed Open House. “An animal can give you a certain kind of unconditional love.”
Even though the event didn’t start until 1 p.m., Hynes said people were waiting by the Alachua County Animal Services' door at 9:30 a.m.
“We get 10 times the adoptions during an open house than we would on just a regular day,” Hynes said.
Jurs is happy with her family’s new puppy and is certain Oso and her son will be great friends.
“They are obviously a good match for each other,” she said as she watched Nicholas throw a pink tennis ball to Oso.
