On Jan. 18 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. the Corvallis Heartland Humane Shelter and Care is hosting Meet Your Mutt, a dog speed dating adoption event.
The event is intended to help some long-time dogs at the shelter meet their forever families.
“We’re going to have coffee, pastries, hot chocolate and ten different speed-dating tables for people to come and meet those animals,” said Grace Porter, the outreach and development coordinator at Heartland.
The event listing states, “Each station/dog will be handled by a member of our animal care staff or one of our very experienced volunteers. They can answer any questions about the dog and also help show you their amazing personalities.”
As of Jan. 8, all ten spots are still available to purchase a ticket for. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased from the website linked on Heartland Humane Corvallis’ Instagram.
The $25 ticket fee will go towards the price of adoption, which covers the cost of spay/neuter, microchip and up-to-date vaccinations for the pet.
“Oftentimes the shelter environment is a stressful environment for these animals, so sometimes they don’t present very well at the shelter in their kennels,” Porter said, “But outside the kennels, they are absolute sweethearts.”
Porter joined Heartland in August 2024 after graduating from University of Oregon with a masters in non-profit management. As the outreach and development coordinator, Porter runs the social media page, helps plan events and solicits donations.
“We started in 1966, and the mission has been to care for homeless animals, provide humane education to youth and to really strengthen the bond between humans and animals,” Porter said.
Heartland serves 1,500 to 2,000 animals a year, including strays and owner surrenders, and helps them find their forever homes.
Porter said to keep an eye out for a possible upcoming event in February titled Date Day at Heartland, where couples can make a donation and buy out the shelter for an hour to spend with their partner.
“It’s a perfect Valentine’s Day present for that dog lover in your life,” Porter said.
Tickets and more information about Meet Your Mutt can be found on Heartland’s website.