Pearl River County’s SPCA is starting a new program to help pets at the local shelter find a forever home.

The new program is called the Animal Ambassador Program. Similar to their foster program, the Animal Ambassador Program focuses on pets who have had a hard time finding a loving family to call their own. While foster homes typically help injured or younger animals reach a level of health that is perfect for adoption, the ambassador program will provide a temporary home to healthy adult animals, said Pearl River County SPCA President Maria Diamond.

Once a person becomes a member of the program, they choose a cat or dog to care for temporarily while also working to help them find a permanent home. If they choose a dog, then the program provides a special vest with “adopt me” written on it that can be used while dog is being taken out for a walk. 

Diamond said many animals don’t show their true personality while in a shelter, at times preventing them from being adopted. However, under the ambassador program the animals will be away from the stresses of shelter life, providing them an opportunity for the ambassador to truly get to know the pet. Then, the ambassador can effectively promote the pet’s true personality to friends and family, and through social media in an effort to find the pet a home.

PRCSPCA staff will train ambassadors on how the program works, what fees to collect and on how to fill out the proper paperwork once a permanent family is found for the pet. The ambassador will then turn in the paperwork and fees associated with the adoption to the shelter. 

Attendees of Saturday’s Krewe of Pearl Mardi Gras parade may have noticed a few of the animals marching with shelter staff. “We had a good response to that,” Diamond said. 

One woman even found her lost dog because of the parade. Diamond said the woman recognized her dog as it marched in the parade. She reclaimed it after the parade had ended.

“They said they couldn’t believe it was walking on a leash because it wouldn’t walk on a leash for them,” Diamond said.

Pets under the ambassador program continue to receive medical and food assistance, she said.

While the program would better suit a dog since they can be taken out for walks with the “adopt me” vest, Diamond said an enterprising ambassador willing to take to social media to promote a feline could help find a cat a forever home. She suggested photos and videos of the cat playing as great promotional tools.

“We’re really excited about this,” Diamond said. “We’re hoping this will make a difference for a lot of these animals.”

So far there are five ambassadors for dogs and five for cats, but Diamond would like to see that number grow. Anyone interested in becoming part of the program is urged to stop by the shelter at 1700 Palestine Road in Picayune during operating hours, or call Diamond at 601-347-3667.

Potential ambassadors can get a preview of the animals at the shelter by visiting the website at http://prcspca.org/.