Melanie Gonzalez with Benny the dog. [Photo: Kaila Jones]

I’m taking a couple of weeks off, but was happy to give over my column this week to this story after hearing the good news about a recent spate of adoptions at the second annual No Tail Left Behind event at the Walking Tree Brewery, sponsored by Coldwell Banker Paradise

I could hardly contain my excitement when I learned that SEVEN dogs from the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County had been adopted on the spot that day.

“Watching animals get adopted is my favorite thing,” said event organizer Shalyn Warren, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Paradise and a Humane Society volunteer. “I love watching these babies find homes; that makes me really happy.”

“Coldwell Banker throws this lovely event and all we have to do is show up and bring dogs and find them homes,” said Kate Meghji, HSVBIRC executive director. “I like that this is a really family-focused event. Maybe they come and plan on getting a bratwurst, and end up getting a new best friend.”

Their tongues lolling and tails wagging, the dogs all put their best paws forward as they were rotated in and out of the air-conditioned Mobile Adoption Unit, each one thoroughly reveling in the attention.

“Can you imagine a happier dog than that? He’s like, ‘Maybe some more hands can fit on my body,’” said Meghji, pointing to Benny, an “all-American shelter dog” enthusiastically accepting the pats being lavished on him from a circle of children.

It was clear that Macey, a sweet dog with blue eyes and a patch of pink on her nose, was eager to go home with Samantha and Chris Miller.

“She caught me right away; I don’t even know what kind of dog she is. Her eyes; when I came face-to-face with her in the window, I cried,” said Samantha Miller. Pointing to Chris she added, “And he knew that we were leaving with her.”

Six-year-old Diamond’s tail was wagging nonstop after being selected by another loving family.

“We just came here to see what was going on,” said Melissa Colgan, adding with a smile that one look was all it took for her children to fall in love.

Meghji noted that while dogs previously might have remained at the shelter for months, adoptions are happening much more quickly now thanks to a general overhaul of practices, including such post-adoption support as training classes, phone consultations and even training animals in people’s homes.

“It’s really about giving people the tools, because you have to train the people sometimes more than the dogs,” said Maghji. “So we’re doing really well.”