THIS IS THEIR FIRST OPEN HOUSE AND IT’S A BIG TURNOUT. RIGHT NOW. THEY HAVE 16 ADOPTABLE DOGS OUT FOR PEOPLE TO SEE. TODAY’S EVENT IS ALL ABOUT INVITING THE PUBLIC TO COME INTO THE FACILITY AND TO FIND THESE DOGS PERMANENT HOMES. WE FOUND OUT THAT THE ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL PALM BEACH COUNTY IS EUTHANIZING DOGS BECAUSE THEY’RE OVERCROWDED. NONPROFIT HOSPITALITY HELPING HANDS HAS BEEN DOING EXACTLY THAT FOR THE PAST SIX WEEKS. WE STARTED ACTUALLY WITH THIS GIRL. ROXY WAS THE FIRST ONE WE PICKED UP. SHE WAS GOING TO BE PUT DOWN, LIKE IN 24 HOURS. AND THEN IT KIND OF JUST MORPHED FROM THERE. PEOPLE FOUND OUT ABOUT US, AND SO WE HAD THIS FACILITY AVAILABLE, AND SATURDAY WAS THE FIRST TIME THE PUBLIC COULD SEE THE 12,000 SQUARE FOOT DOG RESCUE FACILITY. SO WE’RE INVITING THE PUBLIC TO COME IN TO PLAY WITH THE DOGS. WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HOPEFULLY ADOPT. FOSTER IS WHAT WE IS, WHAT IS NEEDED THE MOST. WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT ENVIRONMENT TO REHABILITATE THESE DOGS. AS OF NOW, HE CAN ONLY HOUSE UP TO 22 DOGS, BUT NEEDS MORE HELP WITH STAFFING AND VOLUNTEERS. MAYO BELIEVES THERE’S TWO REASONS WHY THERE IS A DOG OVERCROWDING ISSUE RIGHT NOW. ONE OF THE REASONS IS DURING COVID, A LOT OF PEOPLE BOUGHT DOGS POST COVID. A BIG MAJORITY OF THOSE WENT BACK AND GOT RETURNED. THAT’S ONE BIG PROBLEM. WE’RE FINDING HOUSING BECAUSE OF THE HOUSING CRISIS. PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO MOVE TO SMALLER AND SMALLER UNITS, AND THEN THERE’S SO MANY RESTRICTIONS. MAYO FINDS THE DOGS ON THE PALM BEACH COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL WEBSITE UNDER THE URGENT SECTION, THEY GIVE 48 HOURS. UNFORTUNATELY, WE’RE TRYING TO GET THEM TO GIVE MORE NOTICE, LIKE FIVE DAYS BECAUSE IT’S HARD TO TRY TO PLACE A DOG IN 48 HOURS. MAYO SAYS HE PLANS TO HAVE EVENTS LIKE THIS ON A MONTHLY BASIS, SO HE CAN GET THESE DOGS ADOPTED AND BRING IN OTHER DOGS WHO ARE SLATED TO GET EUTHANIZED. BUT FOR NOW, I’M IN WEST PALM BEACH.
Local nonprofit hosts first open house to help save dogs from euthanasia
“Right now, we’re just concentrating on saving those adoptable dogs that were scheduled for euthanasia,” said dog rescue founder. Hospitality Helping Hands opens its doors to the public for an open, showcasing adoptable dogs saved from euthanasia and calling for volunteers, fosters, and forever homes.
Updated: 11:09 AM EDT Oct 5, 2025
A local nonprofit is stepping in to save dogs from being euthanized due to overcrowding at animal shelters, and they’re inviting the public to help.”Hospitality Helping Hands” hosted its first open house adoption event Saturday, allowing the community to tour its 12,000-square-foot dog rescue facility and meet over a dozen adoptable dogs.“We found out that the animal care and control in Palm Beach County is euthanizing dogs because they’re overcrowded,” said Rodney Mayo, founder of the nonprofit.The organization, traditionally focused on food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, recently expanded its mission to include dog rescue. For the past six weeks, it has been rescuing dogs listed as urgent on the website by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.“We started actually with Roxy; she was the first one we picked up. She was going to be put down in 24 hours, and then it’s kind of just morphed from there, people found out about us, and we had this facility available,” Mayo said.Saturday marked the first time the public was invited to tour the facility and meet the dogs up for adoption.“So, we’re inviting the public to come in to play with the dogs. We need volunteers to hopefully adopt, foster what is needed the most,” Mayo said. “We built an outside play area, we have swimming pools, two splash pools, we have an indoor play area. So, we have a really great environment to rehabilitate these dogs.”With the current staff and volunteers, the rescue facility can house up to 22 dogs, but right now, they have 16. Mayo said they are in need of additional staff and volunteers to help expand the effort.”We’re going to grow; we have the ability to grow the house down to 80 or 90 dogs here. If we take over the full facility, but that takes more staff, volunteers, we need trainers and veterinarians that will give us a break,” Mayo said. He believes the overcrowding issue stems from a combination of pandemic-era pet adoptions and current housing instability.“Post-COVID, a big majority of those went back and got returned. That’s one big problem we’re finding, because of the housing crisis. People are having to move to smaller and smaller units, and then there’s so many restrictions,” Mayo said.For other dog rescue volunteers, they blame overcrowding on other issues.Volunteer TK Kirkley said, “The main issue is spayed and neuter and backyard breeders, people shouldn’t be breeding dogs in their backyards unless they have a license.”Mayo finds many of the rescue dogs through the county shelter’s “urgent” list.“They give 48 hours, unfortunately, we’re trying to get them to give more notice, like five days, because it’s hard to try to place a dog in 48 hours,” he said.Mayo plans to hold similar open house events monthly in hopes of placing the current dogs in homes so he can rescue more animals at risk of being euthanized.
A local nonprofit is stepping in to save dogs from being euthanized due to overcrowding at animal shelters, and they’re inviting the public to help.
“Hospitality Helping Hands” hosted its first open house adoption event Saturday, allowing the community to tour its 12,000-square-foot dog rescue facility and meet over a dozen adoptable dogs.
“We found out that the animal care and control in Palm Beach County is euthanizing dogs because they’re overcrowded,” said Rodney Mayo, founder of the nonprofit.
The organization, traditionally focused on food assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic, recently expanded its mission to include dog rescue. For the past six weeks, it has been rescuing dogs listed as urgent on the website by Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control.
“We started actually with Roxy; she was the first one we picked up. She was going to be put down in 24 hours, and then it’s kind of just morphed from there, people found out about us, and we had this facility available,” Mayo said.
Saturday marked the first time the public was invited to tour the facility and meet the dogs up for adoption.
“So, we’re inviting the public to come in to play with the dogs. We need volunteers to hopefully adopt, foster what is needed the most,” Mayo said. “We built an outside play area, we have swimming pools, two splash pools, we have an indoor play area. So, we have a really great environment to rehabilitate these dogs.”
With the current staff and volunteers, the rescue facility can house up to 22 dogs, but right now, they have 16. Mayo said they are in need of additional staff and volunteers to help expand the effort.
“We’re going to grow; we have the ability to grow the house down to 80 or 90 dogs here. If we take over the full facility, but that takes more staff, volunteers, we need trainers and veterinarians that will give us a break,” Mayo said.
He believes the overcrowding issue stems from a combination of pandemic-era pet adoptions and current housing instability.
“Post-COVID, a big majority of those went back and got returned. That’s one big problem we’re finding, because of the housing crisis. People are having to move to smaller and smaller units, and then there’s so many restrictions,” Mayo said.
For other dog rescue volunteers, they blame overcrowding on other issues.
Volunteer TK Kirkley said, “The main issue is spayed and neuter and backyard breeders, people shouldn’t be breeding dogs in their backyards unless they have a license.”
Mayo finds many of the rescue dogs through the county shelter’s “urgent” list.
“They give 48 hours, unfortunately, we’re trying to get them to give more notice, like five days, because it’s hard to try to place a dog in 48 hours,” he said.
Mayo plans to hold similar open house events monthly in hopes of placing the current dogs in homes so he can rescue more animals at risk of being euthanized.