'Every Animal Deserves A Loving Home': My Furry Valentine Hopes To Find Homes For Hundreds Of Animals

CINCINNATI - Looking for a Valentine who will give you endless hugs and kisses?

If you're ready for some unconditional love, there are nearly 600 pets available to join your family.

My Furry Valentine is back at the Sharonville Convention Center. Running for over 10 years, this pet adoption event is the largest in the tri-state area.

"We have a lot of local rescues and shelters that bring animals here, which allows visitors to see hundreds of animals under one roof, get to know them, learn about their behaviors from foster families and adopt them," she said. Shay O'Brien is the Social Media Lead for My Furry Valentine.

The dogs and cats will be placed at various satellite locations in the Greater Cincinnati area, where more than 1,000 cats and dogs will be adopted, O'Brien said.

“They are good animals. Shelters and shelters have purebred animals that interest you. But in general, only healthy and good animals, such as Dingo, find a home here, and you don't need to contact the breeders, they are waiting for you here," he said.

Louie's Legacy Animal Rescue has been participating in My Furry Valentine since 2015.

“Often we can do 100 adoptions. We do 200 adoptions a year, so the impact on the animals is huge,” said Emily Geer, founder and president of Louie's Legacy.

Geer said Louie's legacy was one of the largest rescue programs in the country. They take animals from shelters and place them in orphanages.

Geer added that due to COVID, the event has seen low uptake in recent years, but expects uptake to increase this year.

Last year, My Furry Valentine adopted nearly 500 pets. Since 2012, My Furry Valentine has adopted nearly 7,500 pets.

O'Brien said the goal of the event is to find good homes for these animals and take a step toward living in a no-kill society.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, about 920,000 animals are euthanized each year. According to the ASPCA, 390,000 of these animals are dogs and 530,000 are cats.

"Every pet deserves a loving home," says O'Brien.

Pet adoption events have designated meeting places and can take you on dog walks.

My Furry Valentine will be open to the public on Saturday from 11.30am to 5pm and on Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.