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For Petsense by Tractor Supply, adoptathons like the one on Saturday are a way to bring attention and visibility to local shelters, find a home for the animals at the event and raise funds for the animal shelters in attendance.

“Hosting an event like our Adoptathon, which we do twice a year as a whole company across the United States, is aimed at bringing attention and visibility to pets needing a forever home,� Brittany Schwarz, Store Manager at Petsense by Tractor Supply, said. “The added elements like live music and food trucks grasp additional attention as vendors promote their participation and the event to their platforms. With the vendors’ support in engaging their audiences, we can reach more people, bring awareness, and have more opportunities to match animals with their forever homes. We’re incredibly grateful for our vendors’ partnership and support.�

The four dogs adopted from Wilson County Animal Control during the event included an American Bulldog-Pitbull mix that had been with the shelter for a long time, who team members called Big Papa.

“He was older, a large dog, a pit mix,� Wilson County Animal Control Director Steve Gatlin said. “All of those are combinations of a difficult dog to get adopted, and this guy was great. I mean, everybody loved him. He was friendly, liked people — just the kind of big couch potato dog that everybody loves, but not always the most marketable dog. So he’d been here for quite a while. It was a big deal to see him get adopted.�

Gatlin said whenever someone reaches out to ask whether Wilson County Animal Control wants to participate in events like this, they always do.

“We will always get some people and some dogs there because we always have dogs that need adopted,� Gatlin said. “They have been really good. They also donate stuff to us all the time. They’re just a huge supporter of ours.�

Gatlin said animal control is able to reach a broader audience through events like these.

“That really is a big deal,� Gatlin said. “We are currently working on a project and getting ready to add a mobile adoption trailer. We’re going to start to use that for events just like this.�

The trailer will allow Wilson County Animal Control to do adoption events on its own.

“We’re pretty excited about that,� Gatlin said. “The adoption events that we’ve had lately have been very successful.�

Schwarz said that the event is a rewarding experience for her team as animal lovers.

“My entire team is overjoyed every time we find out another animal has found their forever home, and watching the Lebanon community come together to support our shelter partners was just amazing to see,� Schwarz said. “We all hope to continue to be a part of something that helps save animals’ lives and look forward to the next adoptathon.�