For being man’s best friend, these dogs are pretty lonely. But they just might find their best friend in the Tate Student Center Plaza today.

Forgotten Friends will be holding its first Animal Adoption Day in the Tate Plaza from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dogs provided by ACC Animal Control will be available for students to adopt.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of adoption,” said Lauren Miller, president of Forgotten Friends and a senior from Lawrenceville.

Miller founded Forgotten Friends in fall 2008 with Kelly Cummings, a junior from Marietta, to raise awareness about animal care. Since then, the group has held a pet supplies drive, free transportation to get animals spayed and neutered, and an adoption day for pit bulls – which featured Chuckie, a dog that was previously owned by Michael Vick before being rehabilitated.

This is the first time Forgotten Friends has held an Animal Adoption Day, but they plan to hold more on the second Tuesday of each month. The next adoption day will be Nov. 10 and will be the last one of the fall semester. The adoptions will begin again in January.

“These animals really need to be adopted,” Miller said.

“If we don’t have enough room, we have no choice but to euthanize,” said Christy Champagne, supervisor of ACC Animal Control.

Champagne said Animal Control has no set policy on euthanization, but follows certain guidelines.

If the animal is a stray, it will be kept at Animal Control for six days; but if an owner gives their pet up to Animal Control then euthanization depends on whether or not there is room at the facility for the pet. Feral animals that cannot be socialized are typically euthanized as well, she said.

Students interested in adopting a pet can fill out an application in Tate plaza. “The applications are first-come, first-serve,” Miller said.

There is a $50 adoption fee that is due once the application is processed, which includes vaccinations and micro-chipping.

Animal Control gives a $25 refund to an owner after they get the adopted animal neutered or spayed, which typically costs $40 to $60.

“Students tend to get a bad rap as dog owners, but it’s really unjustified,” Champagne said. “They tend to be our best pet owners.”

For students who aren’t interested in adopting a pet right now, Forgotten Friends will have adoption pledges available that students can fill out, promising that they will adopt their next pet. And the organization still encourages students to stop by and play with the animals.

“It’s the dogs’ day out – they get a fun day where people come and play with them,” Miller said.