Halloween hasn’t been canceled for everyone this year.
Five dogs being fostered through Fulton and DeKalb Animal Services could cast a spell on their audience in a virtual showcase Saturday where they will be dressed in costume and doing a few tricks with their foster parent.
The Lifeline Animal Project event titled, The Spook Edition of the Digital Dog Foster Showcase, will be held from 1-2 p.m. Saturday via teleconference. Lifeline manages Fulton and DeKalb County animal shelters.
Lifeline spokeswoman Karen Hirsch said staff and volunteers have worked to think of clever ways for the public to engage with dogs and cats that the shelters take in. In September, dogs were dressed in bow ties and other apparel in the spirit of the TV show “The Bachelor,” she said.
Next Friday at 1 p.m., Lifeline will host a virtual Doggy Halloween Cooking Class taught by Lauren Janis, the owner of Big Daddy Biscuits in Atlanta.
Janis will teach attendees how to make doggy doughnut dog treats. And animals up for adoption will likely give the doughnuts a taste test, Hirsh said.
That event will also include a barista from Hodgepodge Coffeehouse who will teach attendees techniques to making coffee – for humans.
Fulton County Animal Services took in over 3,700 pets this year and adopted out 2,100, Hirsch said, fewer than 2019 when more than 5,300 were taken in and 2,500 adopted. It’s an indication to Lifeline that people are trying to keep their pets during the pandemic.
Most of the more than 60 cats and kittens rescued from a Sandy Springs condominium in September have been adopted, Hirsch said.
The spokeswoman said Lifeline’s virtual events can be a draw for people who aren’t considering adopting.
“Some older people might not be able to have an animal right now,” she said. “It’s still fun for them to see.”
During the pandemic, volunteers have gone to nursing homes and held the pets up to window for residents to see, she said.
Links to the virtual events can be found on the Lifeline Animal Project website.
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