Last Saturday was a good day for seven dogs and two cats, who went home with new owners as part of a promotion done by the Maurices store at the Flinthills Mall.
“We had a phenomenal day Saturday. I couldn’t believe it,” said Taverli Orr, manager of Maurices. “I was just so surprised. It always felt like there were 50 to 75 people just swarmed around those animals. Maybe it reminded people that there are animals at the shelter that need good homes, so that’s what I was excited for.”
The Emporia store was one of around 700 Maurices stores that cooperated in a month-long national effort to raise money, food, and toys for homeless dogs and cats, and to increase awareness of the high numbers of abandoned and unclaimed animals at shelters from coast to coast.
The effort was made in cooperation with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The local store held a “Rescues and Runways” fashion show on Saturday, in conjunction with the mall’s annual Fall Festival.
Pets from the Emporia animal shelter took part in the show, along with models from Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority at Emporia State University.
Cages of animals had been lined up on a table, sometimes two high, on display for potential owners.
A silent auction also held on Saturday raised $300 for the animal shelter.
Maurices gave 20 percent discount coupons for people who brought in food or pet toys for the shelter animals, and accumulated an unexpected, but welcome, harvest of goods for the animals.
“We filled up an entire SUV,” Orr said. “The whole back hatch, the back seat, the front. ... It was a success, I would say. I was super-excited. We are definitely going to be doing this every year.”
Maurices stores also sold Friends for Life charms for $5 each. The charms were promoted as a reminder of the special bond humans and their pets share. The owner can wear half of the charm, while the other half can be worn by the pet.
For every charm sold, Maurices will give $2.50 to support the ASPCA and its national shelter outreach program. Maurices has pledged to donate a minimum of $50,000, with a goal of raising more than $100,000, according to an earlier announcement from the company.