Approximately 179 shelter pets found new homes during the 17th Annual Bow-Wows & Meows Pet Fair at Newhall’s William S. Hark Park on Sunday, October 8.

The 2017 fair, sponsored by Animal Medical Center, Healthy Spot Grooming Academy, Ingolstadt West German Auto Specialists, Pets-Global and Valencia Veterinary Center, kicked off at 11 a.m. By noon, 69 animals had already found new homes.

Bow-Wows & Mows Founder Yvonne (Allbee) Hanson expressed gratitude for the partnerships of both L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation and L.A. County Department of Animal Care and Control.

“Because of our partnership, we are really excited that we can continue offering this fair and celebrating the animals with our community,” Hanson said.

All seven Los Angeles County Animal Shelters participated in Bow-Wows & Meows. The shelter volunteers all said the fair is a fantastic way to connect with the community.

In addition to the county shelters, local rescues Tails of Hope Staffie Haven, Designer Dogs, St. Bonnies Animal Sanctuary, Tails and Scales and Best Friends in Mission Hills all brought adoptable dogs and cats to the fair.

John and Sara Dodd of Northridge, who adopted “Juno,” a Lab/pit bull mix, were elated: “This is our third fair, and our first adoption. We wanted to adopt a dog later in the year, but today we met Juno and it was love at first sight. It was fate.”

“This year’s fair was held in honor of the Bully Breeds,” Hanson said. “October is National Pit Bull Awareness month and we want to celebrate this wonderful breed of dogs by sharing positive awareness and dispelling the myths that sadly many people believe. We feel knowledge is power.”

The fair offered a panel of bully breed experts to educate and answer questions.

“Once people know the reality of this goofy, lovable, loyal, family dog, they will be open to adopting them based on the content of their character instead of their appearance — though I don’t quite get how everyone can’t see just how stunning the appearance of this ‘breed’ actually is,” Hanson said.

Since it began in 2000, the Valencia-based Bow-Wows & Meows, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, has found homes for more than 2,500 pets at its annual fairs, and is entirely run by a volunteer board of directors.

“We at Bow-Wows & Meows work really hard to make this fair happen,” Hanson said. “Watching all these shelter pets find loving homes makes it all worth it.”