'Pet of the Week' feature highlights, strengthens the Post's commitment to community

'Pet of the Week' feature highlights, strengthens the Post's commitment to community

There are hundreds of dogs and cats in shelters throughout Palm Beach County that need to be adopted into a loving home.

That's kind of where it all started with The Palm Beach Post's new weekly feature, "Pet of the Week." It was only a few years ago, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that seemingly everyone wanted a dog or cat. It reminds of what largely fueled the growth of food delivery and streaming services: Millions of folks were stuck in their homes and wanted entertainment or company. Enter: the unconditional love of a pet dog or cat.

But the pandemic — or at least the feelings of forced loneliness — ended. And the desire for the company of all those pets waned. People began dropping off cats and dogs (and their litters) at shelters because the owners either didn't want to or couldn't afford to take care of them anymore.

The Post's Katherine Kokal, herself a doting pet owner, wanted The Post to step up and do something about this troubling trend. (She was very convincing.) And thus was re-born, Pet of the Week.

We know it's not a new concept. Yours truly wrote a Pet of the Week column in my first job as a clerk on the city desk in Lakeland back in 1982. Unlike Kokal, I've never been a real pet person. But writing the column did give me the sense of doing something good for the community.

And kudos to Kokal, by the way, who already has her hands (and arms) full covering the 11th largest public school district in the country. It says a lot about our staff's commitment to this community that she would step far outside that busy coverage to squeeze this in. And she's already gotten pets adopted!

(Note: The Post also donates old newspapers to the Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue in Royal Palm Beach.)

We'll keep this feature up as long as Kokal is willing and able. And I sincerely hope that folks out there who have space in their hearts and homes will adopt one of these cute little pets.

Meanwhile, check out some other stories and photos below from our staff from the past week.

I hope you continue to support local journalism by telling a friend about us. We'd appreciate it. They will too.

You can always reach out to me at rchristie@pbpost.com and find me on X (formerly Twitter) at @rchristiepbp. Or send in a news tip to breakingnews@pbpost.com. Subscribe to independent reporting that supports democracy via subscribe.palmbeachpost.com.