By Melanie Ruberti

Melanie.ruberti@lagrangenews.com

 LaGRANGE – While Valentine’s Day is celebrated by people worldwide, the LaGrange – Troup County Humane Society decided this year the animals staying in the shelter needed some extra love, too.

For just 14 dimes, folks strolled from kennel to kennel on Saturday and handed out special Valentine treats to dogs waiting on their forever homes.

The Humane Society fundraiser called “14 Dimes 4 Love” was an opportunity for the precocious pups to receive some attention – and hopefully catch the eye of their new family.

“They (dogs) just want forever homes and want to interact with you,” said Humane Society volunteer, Tami Weissert. “We have dogs in all shapes and sizes, all ages, all temperaments and all eager to please.”

One of those lucky dogs was Scout, a beagle and hound mix. He caught the attention of Mary and Jesse Sandlin.

“He was so small and such a sweetie,” said Mary.

The couple played with Scout in a back room of the Humane Society to make sure he would be a good fit in their home.

“I recently had to relearn how to walk again,” explained Jesse. “It will be good to have him to take walks with me and at home.”

“He’ll be a good companion for Jesse,” said Mary.

The 14 Dimes 4 Love fundraiser also allowed the Sandlins’ to adopt Scout from the Humane Society for just $14. Normally, pet adoptions cost $75.

The special deal included all the dogs up for adoption. The animals were already spayed or neutered, up to date on their shots and left the shelter with a new collar and extra treats.

“I get to watch good dogs and good people connect. It’s such a blessing,” said Humane Society volunteer Kristie Hart.

The organization depends upon the kindness of strangers through fundraisers and donations to help animals in need. The money raised pays for the pets’ veterinarian visits, medical bills and other expenses, explained Weissert and Hart.

Fortunately for the Humane Society, 14 Dimes 4 Love seemed like a huge success.

“I got here at 11 a.m. and people were already waiting at the door,” Weissert said. “Some Girl Scouts showed up with treats and donations for the dogs. So it’s been really fun … it’s really exciting how much traffic we’ve had through here (Humane Society) so far … We want people to do this all the time.”

“This has been an amazing success,” added Hart. “One woman brought us $50 worth of rolled up dimes. But she is allergic to dogs and couldn’t even go into the kennel. She just wanted to make sure all the dogs were taken care of.”

As of Saturday afternoon, the 14 Dimes 4 Love event raised about $350 for the organization.

The $14 adoption price for pets at the Humane Society will remain in place through Tuesday, Valentine’s Day.

Anyone wanting more information can call the LaGrange-Troup County Humane Society at 706-298-3608 or email them at info@lagrangehumane.org.

The Humane Society is located at 1390 Orchard Hill Road.

Melanie Ruberti is a reporter with LaGrange Daily News. She can be reached at 706-884-7311, ext. 2156.