FAIRHOPE –The Baldwin County Human Society and other local shelters are making preparations for adoption events in March for survivors of the Purple Hearted Puppies after only one owners came forward by last Monday’s deadline.

“The vets are in process of getting everyone spayed and neutered,” BARC! adoption coordinator Deneen Balistere said. “Right now, we’re taking photos and now that they’re healthy and the pictures not hard to look at, and we’re getting ready to put them on the website.”

BARC! and other animal shelters in the area a aiming to hold several adoption events in mid-March, Balistere said. The rescue organization is trying to set dates for the adoptions by the end of the week.

“Trust me, when we get some dates, everyone will know,” Balistere said. “We’re working to get them homes as soon as they are healthy. When the animals go from kennel situation to another, even though it’s a much better situation, getting them to a home is a huge priority.”

Owners of the misplaced pups and lost cats had until midnight on Monday, Feb. 13 to claim any pets left at Purple Hearted Puppies before it was abandoned. Only one, the owner of a Rottweiler, that came forward before the deadline sufficiently proved ownership, according to BARC!

“We had one come forward for one of the dogs that was severely emaciated. He’s in a foster right now,” Balistere said. “He’s making strides every day and we’re hoping to reunite him with owner soon. The owner came forward almost two weeks almost to the day that he paid to adopt him (from Purple Hearted Puppies).”

The rest of the dogs will be available for adoption once they are healthy, Balistere said. Around 20 of the 122 survivors are currently in foster homes, according to BARC! The organization has received around 100 adoption and foster applications specifically for survivors from the neglected rescue facility in Summerdale.

Although the outlook is optimistic, several of the animals will have to remain in veterinary care past March.

“Overall, everybody is doing well. A few will be with us for longer than others. Those that were sick and severely malnourished are going to need a lot more care,” Balistere said.

Balistere estimates that 85 percent of the survivors will be at the adoption events in March.

“Theres something about every single one of them, after everything they’ve been through. They’re just all very sweet,” Balistere said. “They don’t deserve it. Not any animal deserves to go what they have, but these animals have been their own special hell. They especially deserve to know what it’s like to be cared for and treated well by a human.”

Anyone interested in adopting one of the dogs or cats rescued from Purple Hearted Puppies should put in applications now so that prospective owners can finish the approval process before the adoption events, Balistere said. The rescue worker said there are more large breed dogs than small dogs. The application is available at www.BaldwinHumane.org.

“This is a process, and unfortunately it’s taking a lot longer than we were hoping it would be. These dogs were so unhealthy and the process has made it very lengthy. Now we just want to bring it in to the home stretch and find these animals homes,” Balistere said.

Former owners of Purple Hearted Puppies, Roberta Downing Dueitt, 63, and her daughter Sharon Nicole Dueitt, 29, were arrested and charged with first-degree felony cruelty to animals and several misdemeanors. They are currently free on bond.