On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Guilford County Animal Services held a “Rescue Bowl” in an effort to ride some of the Super Bowl hype to get more animals adopted by loving families.

The shelter, which is packed with animals right now, is doing all it can to adopt out pets in a year when many people who adopted animals during the pandemic are resuming their normal lives and no longer desire a pet.

Dogs of all ages are available for adoption through the Animal Shelter and the Rescue Bowl featured some of them.

Animal Services hosted the 2023 Rescue Bowl on Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Animal Resource Center at 980 Guilford College Road in Greensboro.

The dogs wore colored bandanas to display their team affiliation.

The interior courtyard of the Animal Resource Center had been transformed with markings into a miniature football field, and dogs of similar ages competed against each other by pushing a Nerf football into the endzone – or, at least, by pushing it around “better” than the other dog.

In reality, the animals were competing not for victory on the field but instead for the love and attention of potential owners in the audience.  Shelter staff are going to post pictures of the animals competing on social media in order to get them exposure after the event.

The staff thought at first about working cats into the competition but later felt the Rescue Bowl would be chaotic enough with just the dogs. A variety of dogs, from puppies to fully grown canines, competed in the Rescue Bowl, where animal shelter staff served as coaches and referees.

The promotion for the event stated, “Come meet the team of furry players as they compete for the top spot in the hearts of Guilford County residents! The roster includes various dogs, both young and old, all rooting to be adopted.”

Also, this week, there’s a football-themed discount on adoption fees: Pet adopters can get discounts on the fee if they can throw a football into one of three baskets – two that offer fee discounts and one that offers a prize.

Guilford County Animal Services is open for adoptions each week from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Monday. Walk-in registrations are welcomed; no appointment is needed.

You can visit Guilford County Animal Services’ website to see all the pets available for adoption.

 

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