June Johns
Get Rescued
As a resident of Gulfport and an avid dog owner and advocate, I have always looked forward to Get Rescued. Although still a lively event, in past years, there was much more of an emphasis on (as the name states) rescuing dogs and other animals in need of homes. Over these last two years, it’s become a marketing event for vendors to sell their wares, from caramel popcorn to tie-dye shirts. While there were booths with dog and animal products, there was nary an animal present to be rescued. Yes, there was one booth with dogs to be viewed and held, and applications to be placed and then processed, but for many an attendee looking for that possible new pet to join their family that day, they instead walked off with pamphlets on dog sitting, dog beds, dog treats, and other assorted non-live dog items. A critical opportunity to introduce dogs and cats to possible new owners was lost! Some may argue that there is not enough time to properly process applications. If that’s the case, then take 15 minutes to visit an animal shelter and meet the many dogs lingering as they wait for someone to consider giving them a home. Can’t Get Rescued help make these matches? I would encourage the organizers to either rename this event or stay true to its original intention: Helping dogs/cats in need of forever homes “Get Rescued”. What a difference for those dogs and cats if they met their forever family on this day. –Karen Medve, Gulfport
Correction
In the Feb. 24 version of “Gulfport’s Daniel Hodge on Florida’s Anti-Gay Bill” we stated that Hodge served as president of the Gulfport LGBTQ Resource Center in the Gulfport Public Library from 2014-2020. While Hodge volunteered with the center during this time, he served as president from 2016-2020. The Gabber apologizes for the error.
