Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue (LDAR), a nonprofit organization that seeks to find permanent homes for unwanted and abandoned dogs and cats, will hold an open house on Saturday, July 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will also feature an unveiling of the Cattyshack, LDAR's new mobile cat adoption center.

As part of the first-time event, the community may meet adoptable dogs and cats, talk with LDAR volunteers and enjoy live music and food. Face painting will be available for children.

While admission is free, attendees are asked to bring pet food donations. Especially needed right now are cat and kitten food as well as cat litter.

Although LDAR is foster-based, it acquired the kennel in 2020 in order to provide a space for additional dogs. The kennel was a former dog training and boarding facility. "We took away some of the kennels that were old and rundown and made storage space," explained LDAR founder Mary Bauer. "We put on a new roof and (added) a holding area for strays that come in. We also made a puppy room, and we put in a bathroom for our volunteers and a washer and dryer for the linens."

Most of the work, with the exception of the new restroom and roof, was done by volunteers.

LDAR, a no-kill, all-volunteer organization, continues to rescue dogs from puppy mills and from kill shelters. Right now, the kennel is home to Ginger and her six puppies, which were recently rescued from a shelter in Philadelphia. "We are foster-based, but we have an overflow of dogs. We have a mom and six newborn puppies that are in the puppy room," Bauer noted. "We have seven dogs in the kennel, so we are at our max."

She noted that people will be able to visit Ginger and her puppies during the open house, but they are not yet available for adoption.

Dogs that are currently available for adoption include Charlie, a female 4-year-old American bulldog mix; Isla, a Westie puppy who will be 8 weeks old on Thursday, July 25; and Barbie, a 3-year-old pit bull mix. Prospective adopters are asked to complete an application in advance at http://www.luckydawganimalrescue.com/applications.

Cattyshack, the new mobile cat unit, will be on-site during the open house. Cattyshack was formerly a camper that LDAR purchased at a discount from one of its volunteers. "We bought the camper and gutted it. It has one main room and two extra rooms - one for kittens and one for cats," Bauer noted.

Bauer's sister, Lisa Newton, is in charge of LDAR's cat rescue and has saved multiple abandoned kittens by bottle feeding them around the clock in her Chester County home. She said the new trailer will provide a safe way for prospective adopters to view the cats and kittens.

"When we go to events, a lot of them are outdoors and we can't bring the cats because (they get away from people) and they run away," said Newton. "We will bring (the trailer) to events. Since we have cats at Petco in West Chester, we could park there and do adoption events that way, too."

Currently the kitten and cat rooms as well as the exterior of the unit are being painted by local artists, including,Madison Cocchi, Meghan Gardner and Katy Newton, who also designed the logo. The artists are all volunteering their time to do the work.

Those who visit the upcoming open house can also purchase LDAR merchandise, including T-shirts. "We will have a whole tent of baskets (that people can win)," added Newton.

LDAR is located at 489 Church Road, Avondale. Parking will be available in the field next to the facility.

For more information about the open house, search for the "Lucky Dawg Animal Rescue Open House" event page on Facebook. More information about the rescue is available at http://www.facebook.com/LuckyDawgAnimalRescue and http://www.luckydawganimalrescue.com. Those with questions may email luckydawgar@gmail.com.