Kicking off its month full of holiday-themed events, the Gene Carey Animal Shelter participated in the annual Holiday Stroll on Saturday, Dec. 7. Advertising their new events, including an angel tree to benefit animals and the Santa Paws Village that held adoptions during the stroll event, promoted the shelter well.

“It is designed to be an adoption event to hopefully find homes for animals,” event head organizer Crystal Palmer said. “But [also] educates the public about what we do, where we are, who we are and all these different directions we go in on the day to day.”

With a total of 14 adoptions during the day, volunteers were ready for there to be more room for other animals. Half of the adoptions happened at the Santa Paws Village event alone, the rest at the shelter after the event while the adoption fee was still waved.

“The holiday event really seemed to give us an opportunity to interact with the public and inform them of what we were and what we had,” volunteer Juli Patrick said. “[It] alleviates kennels at the shelter that we can use for animals surrendered to us or animals we find stray and nobody picks up.”

While at the event, participant Grace Wagner and her family adopted their own dog. A 10-month-old puppy named Buster was one of the 14 who were happily taken to their new homes.

“The Santa Paws Village attracted me because my family was interested in adopting a puppy,” Grace Wagner said. “My favorite part of the Holiday Stroll was getting to meet my new best friend. We felt such a connection and knew [Buster] would be a great fit for our family.”

Besides the angel tree and Santa Paws Village, there is also a donation raffle which extends to Saturday, Dec. 21. Tickets can be purchased at the animal shelter starting at one dollar for one ticket. Each ticket is entered into a raffle for certain prizes. All the money from tickets sold will be directly donated to assist with the medical care of animals at the shelter.

“I am fostering a dog that had an injury to his leg that wasn’t set properly,” Patrick said. “The Lewisville Animal Services is going to pay for him to have [his] leg amputated so we can get him adopted. That money we get during [the raffle] is what is going to be used for that surgery.”

The Santa Paws Village provided citizens of Lewisville an opportunity to come together and give back to the community. The various events held promoted a refreshing spirit of selflessness and unity in the holiday season.

“I was looking forward to seeing the adoptions and seeing all the people come out,” Palmer said. “I love animals and I like being in a role where I can try to help.”