As the temperatures began to drop on Tuesday, Amelia Tanner got a call from her husband Dale Tanner. A cry for help had popped up in his Facebook feed from Alachua County Animal Resources. Foster homes were needed, urgently.
The freezing night ahead would be a distressing situation for animals at local shelters. Amelia Tanner adopted her own dog from the same shelter and knew the conditions well. She and her husband took Romeo, a terrier mix, home as a foster that evening.
Working alongside a staff of fellow animal lovers at Gainesville Kitchen and Bath, Amelia Tanner said that inquiries about Romeo immediately flooded in the next morning. Her co-worker Kimberlyn Snyder had been looking for a dog of her own. She even bought dog bowls in preparation for when the time was right. Dale Tanner brought the dog for a visit to the office that afternoon, and Snyder said it was love at first sight. Adoption papers were signed Wednesday evening and approved the next morning…