In celebration of Pit Bull awareness month, Fix.Adopt.Save. and its alliance partners are hosting the fifth-annual Pittie-Palooza, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 at Phoenix Metrocenter Mall, near the lower level west entrance next to Sears.

This event celebrates one of the most misunderstood dog breeds, the Pit Bull, and will feature $20 pit bull adoptions, as well as (*all breeds welcome) 1,000 free spay/neuter vouchers, free vaccinations, $10 microchipping, and $5 Pet ID tags. There also will be informational vendor booths, Kids Zone activities, and door prizes.

“Pit bull breeds continue to be one of the most at-risk breeds in the Valley due to public stereotypes. Because of this, the mission behind Pittie-Palooza is to join forces with the leading animal welfare agencies and make an impact on the public perception of pit bulls,” says Sonia Hernandez, project manager of Fix.Adopt.Save. “Last year, 9,097 pit bulls were taken into Maricopa County shelters. Of those, 973 were euthanized—and although this is down 55 percent from 2016, we want that number to continually trend toward zero.”

In 2017, more than 20 pit bulls were adopted, over 230 animals were vaccinated on site, 712 free spay/neuter vouchers were distributed, and 57 microchips were administered at the event.

This event offers the community a great opportunity to meet and interact with the leading animal welfare agencies in Maricopa County, including Arizona Animal Welfare League, Arizona Humane Society, Animal Defense League of Arizona, HALO Animal Rescue, Altered Tails Barnhart Clinic, PACC-911 and Fix.Adopt.Save.

For more information, visit https://www.fixadoptsave.org/pittiepalooza.