Friends of Strays to participate in Petco Love Florida MEGA Pet Adoption Event June 27-29!
Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Media Contacts:
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter
Jessica Salmond, Communications & Marketing Manager
[email protected] | 727.522.6566 ext. 100
Florida Leaders in Lifesaving
Lindsay Layendecker
Director of Community Partnerships
[email protected] // o. 904.493.4560 // m. 904.613.6331
Crystal Bugary, Petco Love, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Petco Love Florida MEGA Pet Adoption Event Returning with Statewide Participation and a Goal of Finding Homes for 2,000 Pets in Florida Shelters
St. Petersburg, FL (June 2025): Friends of Strays is proudly joining forces with Petco Love, a national nonprofit leading and inspiring change for pets, and animal welfare groups across the state of Florida on a shared mission to find homes for 2,000 dogs and cats in shelters. The Petco Love Florida MEGA Adoption Event will take place on June 27, 28, and 29 in Petco pet care centers and local animal shelters throughout Florida.
According to the most recent nationwide data, Florida ranks 46th in the nation when it comes to saving the lives of pets in shelters. In 2024, 37,683 dogs and cats were euthanized in animal shelters across Florida.[1] With help from Petco Love, local animal shelters are aiming to close that gap by finding homes for 2,000 pets in three days.
More than 1,900 dogs and cats found new, loving homes statewide during the 2024 Petco Love Florida MEGA Adoption Event. The 2025 event will include nearly 50 organizations across 31 counties, and thousands of pets will be available for adoption. All pets will be spayed or neutered and up to date on vaccinations. All adoption fees will be waived, some exclusions may apply.
Friends of Strays will be participating 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, June 27; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, June 28; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 29, 2025. Adoptable dogs are located at 2911 47th N, St. Petersburg FL 33714; adoptable cats are one block south at The Cat Box, 3015 46th N, St. Petersburg, FL 33714.
Many other shelters in the Tampa Bay area are also taking part of this event! For other participating shelters on the West Coast, visit: https://megaadoptflorida.com/west-coast
“There is nothing more powerful than the moment a shelter pet meets their new family and that’s the heart of this incredible statewide event,” said Susanne Kogut, President of Petco Love. “By uniting animal welfare organizations across Florida, we’re not only finding homes for pets, we’re creating thousands of new beginnings filled with hope, healing, and unconditional love. That’s the power of community, and that’s the power of love.”
“Every adoption is a celebration—a moment where a pet finds not just a home, but a family. We are looking forward to uniting people and pets together through the Petco Love MEGA Adoption Weekend!” said Dara Worthington, Friends of Strays CEO.
To learn more about the event, including days, times, and locations in your area, visit megaadoptflorida.com. Information is also available on social media by following @MegaAdoptFlorida on Facebook and Instagram or using #MegaAdoptFL.
The Florida MEGA Adoption Event is powered by a lifesaving investment from Petco Love for the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) and is facilitated by JHS’s Florida Leaders in Lifesaving program.
About Petco Love:
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $410 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for nearly 7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.
About Friends of Strays:
Friends of Strays Animal Shelter is St. Petersburg’s oldest no-kill animal shelter. Founded in 1978, our top priority is to connect animals in need of rescue with people who will love them. With thousands of cats and dogs entering our shelter every year, Friends of Strays’ staff and volunteers provide the utmost love and care for every animal that comes through our doors. To learn more, visit friendsofstrays.org.
About Florida Leaders in Lifesaving:
Florida Leaders in Lifesaving is a program of the Jacksonville Humane Society, located in Jacksonville, FL, that unites Florida’s shelters and clinics in a statewide mission to save the lives of dogs and cats in shelters, inspire collaborative action, and engage the hearts, hands and minds of our communities so Florida can serve as a national leader in lifesaving. Learn more at floridaleadersinlifesaving.org.
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[1] Shelter Animals Count, https://www.shelteranimalscount.org/explore-the-data/state-level-animal-welfare-statistics-dashboard/
