Take in a hard-to-adopt dog Saturday

Jennifer Solis Ball couldn’t afford an expensive epilepsy service dog, a dog trained to warn of an impending epilepsy seizure in someone, so she went to the local shelter and found a black Lab/pit bull terrier mix named Shadow to do the job.

Shadow is an example of how a “hard to adopt” animal, if treated humanely and trained well, can be a productive member of “doggie society,” Solis Ball said.

Hard-to-adopt animals will be the focus of a new special adoption program called “The Lonely Hearts Club,” in which the city’s Animal Welfare Department is cutting in half its pet adoption fee for any animal in the shelter for 30 days or longer. Adoption fees vary by age.

	If you go WHAT: The Lonely Hearts Club’s first social event WHEN: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday WHERE: Westside Shelter, 11800 Sunset Gardens SW. Directions on cabq.gov/pets.

“I’m a single mom and so I couldn’t afford the $30,000 to $40,000 for a service dog, so I thought if we could find a pound dog that we could train, it would be worth the shot,” she said, adding that she found the dog at Animal Welfare’s Eastside shelter.

Shadow has been training on the job and has already helped Solis Ball’s 17-year-old son, Dezmond Hill, avoid several dangerous situations when the dog has warned of an impending seizure. Hill, because of his condition, had several close calls when he had a seizure without warning, Solis Ball said.

“Now that my son has his dog to take care of him, he’s wanting to go on to college, and go on with having his life,” Solis Ball said. “And the dog? The dog is super sweet and super smart,” she said.

The Lonely Hearts Club’s first social pet adoption will take place Saturday at the Westside Shelter. About 200 animals will be available, with almost half of them being pit bull terriers or crosses, and the remainder mainly breeds like Labrador retrievers, Chihuahuas, a handful of Rottweilers and even an Australian cattle dog.

Club members are given special treatment by shelter volunteers, who work with the animal to make it adoptable. Activities include teaching a dog to walk on a leash, how to greet without being overwhelming and how to interact and “play nice” with other dogs, said Desiree Cawley, Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department marketing manager.

Cawley said she formed the club because she got tired of seeing melancholy faces on dogs being passed up daily by visitors who are afraid or don’t understand that how a dog turns out depends so much on the owner and how the animal is raised, trained and treated.

There are various adoption fees, depending on the age of an animal. A 1-year-old, for example, might have a half price fee of $25, while a 4-year-old might have a half price fee of $20, which includes spay and neuter, shots and a microchip and license.

Cawley said she plans to put on a Lonely Hearts Club event at least once a month.

“Having constructive exercise and metal stimulation will allow any pet to mature with a wonderful disposition, feeling safe, happy and part of the family.” Cawley said. “Having the right owner just makes all the difference for these pets.”