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Needing a new chance to be loved

Homeless animals, young and old, will no longer be shown at Hyde Park Village.

By ALEXANDRA ZAYAS
Published September 1, 2006

HISTORIC HYDE PARK

The puppies perk up in their kennels and wag their tails at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay's animal shelter on Armenia Avenue, but Kathi Harper walks right past them. She suspects they'll get adopted on cuteness alone.

Harper can choose only a handful of dogs and cats to take to the shelter's satellite adoption center on Snow Avenue in Hyde Park Village. So its manager chooses wisely.

Harper usually picks the quiet, old souls - the balls of fur curled in the back of the cages - and takes them to the Hyde Park center, where they roam freely as easy-listening music plays in the background.

"It's the older ones that need to be seen in an atmosphere where people can walk up and meet them, versus in the back of a kennel," Harper said while stroking Maggie, a 6-year-old spaniel snoozing on her desk.

But come Oct. 1, Maggie and 10 other animals at the satellite center will have to go back to their kennels in the main shelter, making it harder for most of them to be adopted.

Hyde Park Village needs the space, which it had donated to the Humane Society, as part of its plans to redevelop the aging shopping center. Village officials notified the shelter about three weeks ago.

The Humane Society doesn't have the money to rent space and move the satellite location, so it will have to close.

"If we're not able to find another spot, the whole idea of the satellite gift store could be lost," Harper said.

Polaroid photos line the walls of the 3-year-old adoption center, which also sells chew toys and dog accessories. The photos show more than 200 dogs from the center and their new adoptive families. Harper has a story for each one.

There are Mom and Pop-Pop, the 13-year-old Chihuahuas who were adopted together. Harper's eyes welled when she told of Pop-Pop's recent death, just before a Humane Society telethon he was scheduled to attend.

Then there's Winston, the orange tabby cat that was adopted after months at the shelter. His family still drops in to give Harper updates.

Last week, the center had Dreamer, a shepherd mix puppy Harper brought in for the kids.

"The kids like to see puppies when they come in," she said. "I focus more on the special-needs animals, but every now and then, I bring a puppy in if it's really cute."

Hyde Park Village spokesman Stewart Lewack said the village intends to remain an active supporter of the Humane Society through events like the annual pet masquerade parade and pumpkin patch fundraisers in October. The village had no choice but tell the satellite center it had to close. The space is slated for retail.

Harper remains hopeful that someone will donate space for another satellite.

"A lot of people don't like to go to the big shelter because it's very overwhelming," Harper said. "A lot of people just get too sad walking in."

In the meantime, she wants to find families for the three dogs and eight kittens before the site closes.

"It's a day-to-day goal," Harper said. "Every animal I send home, that's what I'm about."

Alexandra Zayas can be reached at 226-3354 or azayas@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 12, 2006, 10:20:57]