CLEARWATER, Fla — What's better than a bunch of adorable puppies?
A bunch of adorable puppies hanging out with dolphins at Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
Nine abandoned pups started their journey in Puerto Rico, where they were found living under a car. Island volunteers from St. Pete-based animal welfare organization Compassion Kind rescued the animals and flew them here to the Tampa Bay area last week.
Aptly named for Valentine's Day, Snuggles, Sweetie, Valentina, Lover Boy, Cuddles, Cupid, Valentino, Rose and Sugar got to celebrate love with some local celebrities: Clearwater Marine Aquarium dolphins Nicholas and Hope.
And lucky for us, the adorable meet-up was caught on camera.
The event was made possible in part by Karen Altieri and her husband, Jan Majewski, a couple from Largo who is fostering the pups.
"Seeing and interacting with these cuties can help those who are especially going through tough times,” Altieri said.
"We chose to reach out to potential adopters with CMA because of my association as a long-time volunteer with them. Their mission of rescue, rehabilitation and release is in sync with the Compassion Kind mission to rescue, care for, and adopt out as many animals in need as possible," she continued.
Interested in fostering or adopting? Compassion Kind is always looking for homes for these animals in need.
"We are a non-profit, foster-based rescue and do the best we can to help animals in need in the Tampa Bay area," Compassion Kind Founder Aja Estro said in a statement.
"Once a month our team flies in at-risk dogs and cats from other states and Caribbean islands like Puerto Rico who would otherwise have no chance of survival. We always have a desperate need for foster homes in the Tampa Bay Area and we are also actively looking for a building to house emergency animal intakes.”
