Today marks the start of the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024, a day people worldwide have been looking forward to for months. Athletes from across the world will be competing and showcasing their incredible skills — but they’re not the only ones who will be showing off over the next few weeks.
The homeless pets at Helen Woodward Animal Center have decided to have their own games alongside the Summer Olympics — the 2024 Critter OlymPETs. Just like the human olympians, the pets will be competing in events such as swimming, gymnastics, soccer, climbing and sailing.
While these pets may not be world-renowned athletes, they hope to be recognized for something equally as important, which is what wonderful family members they’ll all make once they’re finally adopted.
To kick off the Critter OlymPETs, the center hosted an opening ceremony of their own — an o-PAW-ning ceremony, as they like to call it. They chose the center’s longest resident, a pup named Mister, to be their official flag bearer.
“All the other Center pets look up to him,” Kendall Schulz, adoption services director at Helen Woodward Animal Center, said in a press release. “He never loses sight of the greatness that will one day be his forever home. He has persevered too long to settle, although we know his dreams of love are just as real as any of the other comPETitors. It was an easy vote for all of us when it came to selecting Mister as center representative.”
For every pet who competes in the center’s games, winning gold means finally finding a forever home. Just like winning a gold medal, it might sometimes seem like an impossible goal, but they won’t give up until their dreams come true.
Helen Woodward Animal Center will be broadcasting their 2024 Critter OlymPETs online for free on both their website and their Facebook page from now through August 11. Everyone at the center hopes these adorable animal athletes will bring joy to everyone who watches them — and maybe inspire some people to adopt them, too.
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
