Helping to give a dog a home

His real name is Kairoo, but to graduate student Jessie Mallor he looks more like a Louie.\nHis light brown, fuzzy hair makes the playful puppy look like a teddy bear, Mallor said, as she pets the three-month-old shepherd mix.\n"He's like a mobster that goes home to his mom," she said.\nBut Kairoo doesn't have a home.\nLike the other dogs at the Bloomington Adopt-a-Pet site, Kairoo's days could be numbered if a suitable home isn't found.\nTraditionally, students have been part of the problem of abandoned pets in Bloomington. Every May, the euthanasia rate spikes as students leave animals behind, said Karla Kamstra, cofounder of Bloomington Pets Alive.\nNow, students can be part of the solution, she said, by volunteering to help find pets good homes.\nThe goal of Adopt-a-Pet, a non-profit partnership formed in December between Bloomington Pets Alive and the Monroe County Animal Shelter, was to reduce a county euthanasia rate that hovered around 70 percent.\nStudent volunteers have played an important role in the partnership, Kamstra said.\n"They will fulfill their need to be around animals but not contribute to the problem by relinquishing their animals at the end of the school year," she said.\nIndividual students have volunteered, and groups like the Asian Student Union and Korean American Student Association have organized volunteer efforts. \nThe ASU sends out weekly e-mails to its members encouraging volunteers to help find homes for abandoned animals.\nEvery adopted pet makes someone happy, Mallor said.\n"It's the easiest, most fun volunteer work you'll ever do."\nOn Sunday, the Adopt-a-Pet site at the corner of South Walnut and Winslow streets erupted in applause as Bloomington resident William Peckham took home Trip, a small black mix. He'll be a companion to Peckham's other dog, Maggie.\nJunior Leanna Choi and sophomore Grace Jeon arrived, in church clothes, to help. They planned to give the dogs baths.\nAnd sophomore Jessica Kinderman returned from a walk with Rocky, a 1-year-old Malamute/Retriever mix.\nBefore Kinderman came to IU, she lived on a farm with no shortage of dogs and cats. Since her landlord here won't allow pets, Kinderman volunteers to help find them homes.\nThree dogs found permanent homes Sunday and a few others found foster families, said Dr. Jo Liska, director of education for Bloomington Animal Care and Control.\nSince the program began in December, euthanasia rates have dropped from the 70 percent range to the 40 percent range, she said.\nAdopt-a-Pet is held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Marsh shopping center at the corner of South Walnut and Winslow. To volunteer, e-mail bpa@insitebb.com.