Nike, a 3-year-old male beagle, is new to the Aurora area.
Born at a farm in southern Indiana for hunting purposes, Nike and his five siblings were sent out of a barn one day to hunt. Nike’s quick return to the warmth of the barn led to him being dropped at a shelter in Indiana — one where the animals are often euthanized.
However, thanks to the efforts of Rover Rescue, a local nonprofit rescue group made up entirely of volunteers, Nike made his way to Illinois and is currently being fostered until he will be one of the dogs appearing at the 15th annual Rover Rescue Pet Dog Show May 5 in Aurora —unless he is adopted beforehand.
Rescue group members continue to travel every other weekend about two hours to Indiana to meet with volunteers from a shelter in that state to transfer dogs that will be adopted here in Aurora and the surrounding communities, according to Teri Grandt with Rover Rescue.
“To see where it started from and how many dogs they were euthanizing to where it is now — it has gotten better,” she said.
Last year, the organization was able to adopt out 712 dogs, Grandt said.
In total, in 15 years in existence, Rover Rescue has adopted out 8,675 dogs.
The annual show is one of the few times of the year that all the dogs available for adoption through Rover Rescue will be on hand.
“We will have plenty of dogs available for adoption,” Grandt said.
This year, dog owners can register for the show, “which is really just for fun,” Grandt said. “It definitely is not a cut-throat competition.”
New categories include dog/owner “mirror image,” and Grandt said she is also adding some obstacles to the “fastest recall” contest.
Aurora’s Mary Walton has been fostering animals for more than 19 years. In 2009, she began volunteering as a Rover Rescue foster parent.
Over the nearly 10 years, Walton said she has fostered several hundred dogs.
“Sometimes, we take in litters so we will have nine adoptions in two weeks,” she said.
She also fosters many senior dogs.
“Senior chihuahuas are one of my favorites,” she said.
The Rover Rescue Pet Dog Show will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 5 at the Aurora Turners Club, 1335 Mitchell Road in Aurora.
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There is no admission fee. The show includes a silent auction, 150 raffle prizes, bake sale and dog micro-chipping. Dogs must be registered to take part in the show by May 3. For information, go to https://roverrescue.org/.
Cathy Janek is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.