Pawty time! Cosmo predicts an early spring at annual Ground Dog Day
Published on February 1, 2023
Break out the Bermuda shorts and flip-flops as Huntsville will soon enjoy warmer weather. That is, if you believe Cosmo, the mixed-breed pooch that predicted an early spring at the second annual Ground Dog Day at Huntsville Animal Services.
Coming a full day ahead of Punxsutawney Phil’s annual prognostication, Cosmo didn’t see his shadow like the famous groundhog. Instead, he used his nose and chose the bowl marked “Early Spring.”
His prediction was in no way influenced by Mayor Tommy Battle, who held Cosmo’s leash. The Mayor and Huntsville Animal Services Director Dr. Karen Sheppard used the event to promote adoptions and an ongoing spay/neuter campaign, “The ‘Fix’ Is In.”
Because February is National Spay/Neuter Awareness Month, Sheppard urged pet owners to break the cycle of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens.
“Last year, we released more than 90 percent of the animals we took in,” Sheppard said. “That’s an incredible feat for our staff, our community and our foster homes, but we could have saved even more if more animals had been spayed or neutered. We can celebrate the 90 percent, but we want to really focus on what we can do to save the 10 percent, too.”
Like Cosmo, each animal available for adoption is spayed or neutered before it leaves the facility. They are also microchipped and come with a City license and free bag of pet food.
Sheppard said there are plenty of spay/neuter options available in the community, most of which can be found at HuntsvilleAL.gov/Spay-Neuter. The City also provides funds for a spay/neuter program for low-income residents.
“We helped 400 more animals in 2022 than we did in 2021,” Sheppard said. “That number would have been much lower if everyone spayed and neutered their pets. We’re hopeful 2023 will be a groundbreaking year for spay/neuter awareness in our community.”
Located at 4950 Triana Blvd. in Huntsville, the shelter is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call 256-883-3782, visit HuntsvilleAL.gov/Animal or check us out on Facebook.
