Rescue Paws UGA Fall Festival Raises Awareness of Homeless Animals | Arts & Culture

The sounds of excited dogs and elated students filled the air outside the Tate Student Center on Tuesday as the Rescue Paws UGA Fall Festival began.

Rescue Paws UGA, a student organization dedicated to helping local homeless animals, hosted the event to raise awareness and help animals in need. The Fall Festival was their biggest event of the semester, and the result of months of planning.

The festival spanned the west and south lawns of the Tate Student Center in a colorful arrangement of games, food, friendly faces and bustling tails. Among it all were festive decorations – pumpkins, miniature scarecrows, and orange balloons – that stood out in the sunny fall weather.

But the real attractions were the animals themselves. Several shelters and foster homes in Athens and surrounding towns came to participate, taking dogs and cats with them for the students to meet. While the students played with the animals, owners of shelters and nonprofits explained the benefits of adoption and the foster system.

Among the participating shelters was the Circle of Friends Animal Society. Heather Gaya, one of the members, discussed the students’ reaction to the event.

“The students are pretty hungry for cats and dogs… I think everyone was very happy to interact with them,” said Gaya.

The students themselves were also encouraged to bring their own pets, many of whom wore Halloween costumes. MaKenzie Leatherwood, a junior ecology student, brought her dog Bailey, who was dressed as a bright yellow chicken.

“I really like the atmosphere [the festival] created, ”Leatherwood said. “I just met new people and saw some friends.”

Although the festival was well received, its organization was not without challenges. Hannah Crouch, Rescue Paws UGA co-chair, explained how they booked the intramural pitches a month in advance. The reservation, however, fell through and the festival was briefly left without a venue. Fortunately, the lawns at the Tate Student Center were able to be reserved on Friday of last week, Crouch said.

“It was a lot of running and juggling different things in the air trying to get a spot because we knew without a place to do the event that wasn’t going to happen,” said Crouch.

Crouch, however, was proud of what the organization had accomplished. She said the club is bigger than ever and the help is good.

“We are really able to help a lot more animals with the amount of funds and the number of people we are helping,” Crouch said.

The Rescue Paw UGA festival was a reminder of why people love the animals in their lives and that there is still more to be done to help those who do not have a home.

“Athens-Clarke County Animal Shelter [is] are overflowing with the needs of foster families and adopters and this is something we want to pass on to local students. They need supplies like shredded newspaper, cat litter, things like that, ”Crouch said.

Welcoming, adopting, giving and volunteering are all things that can be done to help. By supporting organizations such as Circle of Friends Animal Society, Athens-Clarke County Adoption Center, Athens Canine Rescue, Georgia English Bulldog Rescue, and Colbert Veterinary Rescue Services, animals like those at the festival can live happily ever after.