Furry friends find forever homes at Winnipeg Humane Society’s ‘puppy party’ adoption day

When Tyra Vandale and George Jr. laid their eyes on Boo, the connection was instant.

“We fell in love immediately,” Vandale told CityNews.

Boo was among nearly two dozen puppies up for adoption at the Winnipeg Humane Society’s first-ever “Puppy Party” Saturday.

The three-month-old large-breed mix found his forever home, putting an end to a long search for his new parents.

“Yeah, we’ve been looking for a dog for a little while and just decided to go with Boo,” George Jr. said.

Vandale says the house is “almost ready” and she plans to put away her shoes during the training period. They are most looking forward to the long walks and endless snuggles from their new ball of fur.

Providing a home to a shelter dog was a priority for them.

“No one really looks at shelter dogs. They stay here for a long time,” said George Jr.

“Absolutely 100 per cent, go and adopt from the shelter, for sure,” added Vandale.

There was a good turnout at the WHS event — with more than 300 people showing up — to the delight of director of adoptions Darell Hominuk.

“There’s obviously a lot of people interested in helping the Winnipeg Humane Society find forever homes for our puppies and dogs,” Hominuk said.

“We just have over 20 puppies but you never know, that could change at the blink of an eye, so we’re always on the ready to try to move puppies along.”

A total of 13 animals were adopted Saturday, including puppies, other dogs, kittens and cats.

Since January, WHS says it’s taken in 36 puppies and several adult dogs, prompting the shelter to be near or at capacity for much of 2024.

The puppy party was inspired by an animal welfare organization out west.

“We borrowed from the example set by the Calgary Humane Society,” Hominuk explained. “They have run about five or six successful puppy parties. We had a chat with them and we modified the program to give it a Manitoba flavour.”

Hominuk says WHS wanted the party to be an event for Winnipeg’s community, so everyone was invited to come in, meet the animals and see the facility. The puppies were out of their adoption pods, making it easier to interact with their potential new parents.

“We had to think outside the box,” Hominuk revealed.

The event was a way to keep things fresh and encourage more people to come in and consider adoption.

“We want to let them know these are some amazing animals that we’ve got,” Hominuk said. “They’re really friendly and I think some of them are even ambitious, so this is the place to come to if they’re wanting to find a forever home for their puppies.”

Hominuk, a dog lover himself with a 13-year-old Siberian Husky, is new in his role as director of adoptions – now in his fifth week. But he’s very familiar with the organization; his first job as a teen was at the WHS in the 1970s. He says his experience has come full circle, as this job is likely to be his last before he retires.

He hopes people realize how amazing their puppies are and take them home.

“My favourite part, it’s the companionship that they provide and it’s the unconditional love that they give,” he said. “That’s what I enjoy the most.”

Those who adopted a puppy at Saturday’s event were gifted a one-month supply of puppy food, three passes to the shelter’s puppy playgroup, and a WHS pet shop discount.