Malia Thomas | The Valdosta Daily Times Three dogs from the Lowndes County Animal Shelter, Maggie, Lucy and an unnamed puppy, are available for adoption.

VALDOSTA – Animals need to beat the heat, too.

The Lowndes County Animal Shelter took three of their dogs on a field trip to Wild Adventures Theme Park’s Splash Island for some fun in the sun and time to play in the water park’s splash areas.

This outing is a part of the Wild Adventures “Acts of Service” initiative started in 2021 when the park marked 25 years in Lowndes County and wanted to give back to the community in different ways. The pets that visited the park are available for adoption at the shelter.

Adam Floyd, media communications manager for Wild Adventures, said while the animal shelter is a “fantastic place,” it is important for potential adopters to see the dogs in a more fun environment.

“Watching them out here playing and splashing at our water park really gives you an idea of what they can be like when you adopt them and bring them home,” he said.

“They’ve been having a whole lot of fun splashing in the water and splashing all over the water park. Having a good time. I’m hoping once we post those photos and videos that we’ve taken of these little guys online that they’ll find good homes.”

Meghan Barwick, public information officer for Lowndes County, said these types of opportunities are great for spreading awareness about the shelter’s pets. One of the participating pets last year was even adopted by a Wild Adventures employee.

“The Lowndes County Animal Shelter is full of pets to be adopted, dogs and cats. This is our third time out here at Wild Adventures Theme Park, allowing pets to come out and play with their team members,” she said.

“We love this partnership. It gives the pets an opportunity, that are looking for their forever homes, to get out of the shelter … and so we always appreciate the partnership with Wild Adventures. And we’ll probably be back for both for the upcoming pumpkin season when they do that as well as Christmas.”

The visit provides an outlet for Wild Adventures employees as well. 

Madison Tucker, a Wild Adventures team member, said the highlight of her morning was getting to play with the dogs and help provide them with a chance to find a home.

“I was not expecting this today. This was like a wonderful surprise. Normally, we have lots of guests here and that’s great. But puppies are a nice change. It’s really great to give them this opportunity to get a chance to be adopted. It’s not everyday when you get to play with puppies, especially when you’re coming in just to work,” she said.

For more information on the adoption process and to see which pets are available for adoption, visit https://ga-lowndescounty2.civicplus.com/366/To-Adopt or call (229) 671-2760.