JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – More than a dozen wiener dogs have new homes thanks to a big adoption event held Friday at Jacksonville’s Animal Care and Protective Services.
Last week, ACPS said it was expecting more than 70 dachshunds to be available for adoption at the shelter and explained the influx started with a call from a one-time breeding situation that got out of hand.
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About 10 of the dachshunds were adopted almost immediately, while six others were sent to rescue groups.
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Around 6 p.m. Thursday, the shelter announced it would be offering another round of adoptions on Friday morning — and potential adopters did not think twice before heading out to the ACPS building.
The adoption began at 10 a.m., but people began lining up outside the ACPS building around 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and the line continued to grow with at least 40 people waiting outside for the opportunity to adopt.
In a Facebook post, ACPS posted pictures of the 19 daschunds available for adoption on Friday.
Kailey Byrd waited 14 hours outside ACPS, but she said the wait was worth it.
“I love her. I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get her home and out and about. Play with her,” Byrd said.
One person who has also adopted a dachshund is Bethany Michel, who also made a TikTok video of this situation that got more than a million views.
“I got up and I came right in. That is where I was sitting on the floor looking at this little girl, plus one more, and I made that video to just try to spread awareness, especially because they had an influx coming in,” Michel said.
Michel encouraged those interested in adopting a dachshund to stay connected to ACPS’s Facebook page.
Free adoptions are being offered all month long as part of the Clear the Cage campaign at ACPS, which included an adoption event that happened at the Jaguars game last Sunday.
News4JAX spoke with another woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, who said she is helping clear the shelter by adopting a terrier she fell in love with.
“I felt like he needs a home just as well as the dachshunds. I am still putting my name on the list to receive a dachshund in five weeks. I am a dog lover,” she said.
More than 300 other dogs are still looking for homes, too.
“Our goal this month is 450 adoptions. We are over 80% of the way there, and we are only about halfway through the month,” ACPS Chief Michael Bricker said.
According to ACPS, it is expecting to get about 20 more wiener dogs in the next few weeks that will be available for adoption.