OVIEDO, Fla. – An animal rescue nonprofit is asking the City of Oviedo for permission to house adoptable dogs at the Oviedo Mall. The Oviedo City Council will take up a second reading of a rezoning ordinance at its meeting Monday night.
Save A Life Pet Rescue, Inc. currently holds adoption events at the mall on Fridays and Saturdays. The nonprofit has rescued more than 30,000 pets since its founding in 2006.
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Tamara Marshall, president and CEO of Save A Life Pet Rescue, said the organization partners with shelters in rural, underserved areas to transport dogs to safety and into foster homes.
“A lot of those shelters have a lot of puppies that aren’t able to find homes,” Marshall said. “Just because they have such a high population of puppies in the area and not enough residents in the area.”
Marshall said the current process of moving animals back and forth creates unnecessary stress on the pets.
“We’re having to coordinate our volunteers and shuffle our pets back and forth and that’s very stressful on the animals,” Marshall said.
As the city has processed the rezoning request, questions have come up about noise, odor and the number of kennels. Marshall said the animals would be housed in an isolated area and the nonprofit is prepared to work with both the city and mall management to address any concerns.
“We’ve got carpeted walls, we’ve got acoustic ceilings,” Marshall said. “We want to make sure we’re respectful of the Oviedo community members, especially those tenants here in the Oviedo Mall.”
Marshall said the ability to house animals overnight at the mall would be a game changer for Save A Life Pet Rescue. She also said it would complement the mall’s ongoing transition into a mixed-use district for living, dining and entertainment.
“I think this is a great opportunity for people to find that special pet,” Marshall said.
The Oviedo City Council will vote on the rezoning ordinance Monday at 6:30 p.m.
For more details about Save A Life Pet Rescue, click here.