Two pups find their forever homes while at Fetch Charlotte

At the 2023 Fetch dvm360^® Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, there were many celebratory moments. Among them was when 2 adorable furry friends—Ranger and Bonnie—were adopted. This couldn’t have been done without Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Veterinary Innovative Partners (VIP), based in Fairfax Station, Virginia, teaming up to sponsor a Puppy Cuddle Corner featuring dogs in need of forever homes.

Bonnie, the 4-month-old pit mix puppy (Photo courtesy of Veterinary Innovative Partners LinkedIn).

Ranger, the 2-year-old hound mix (Photo courtesy of Veterinary Innovative Partners LinkedIn).

In an email to dvm360, Julia Conner, humane education officer at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, who represented her team at the Fetch Charlotte exhibit hall, said, “It’s always wonderful and exciting to not only watch a connection happen between dog and adopter, but to hear them say, ‘Yes we’ll adopt!’ To watch them take their new furry family member and walk off into the distance is not only gratifying, but heartwarming.”

Stephanie Duvall, senior event manager at VIP, who attended Fetch Charlotte to represent her company added, in an email to dvm360, "How pawsome it feels to be a part of such a happy ending."

The Puppy Cuddle Corner consisted of a 10 ft x 10 ft space; however, the organization was able to spread out on each side of the fenced area to spotlight more pups. Conner explained, “[This] allowed me to bring more dogs than I originally thought would fit that area. Two dogs the first day, 4 dogs the second day, and 3 dogs the third day.”

Ranger and Bonnie lounging in the enclosed area at the Fetch Charlotte Conference (Photo courtesy of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control).

Bonnie is a 4-month-old pit mix puppy while Ranger is a 2-year-old hound mix. Conner described Bonnie as a playful, “normal puppy doing all the puppy things,” and Ranger as a laidback, tolerant, friendly dog who reveled in the attention. Bonnie was adopted day 1 and Ranger was adopted day 2.

Conner expressed her favorite part of attending Fetch Charlotte for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control was witnessing the adoptions first-hand, but also, “the exposure we get, the knowledge we get to put out there, educating about our shelter and programs, and really making good connections is a huge added bonus.” She is looking forward to returning next year.

"We are SO happy to say both Ranger AND Bonnie were adopted and are adjusting well in their new furever homes!!" Duvall concluded.