EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)– Cars and Canines returned Sunday with a special dog-adoption event held in honor of its late founder, Mia Molina.<\/p>\n
The event took place at Mutts Cantina, where friends, family and supporters gathered to celebrate Molina\u2019s two passions: exotic cars and rescue dogs. Organizers said bringing both worlds together is a way to keep her legacy alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our first event that\u2019s in honor of her,\u201d co-founder Gia Soleil Espinoza\u00a0said. \u201cEven my shirt has our for Mia logo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molina and Espinoza founded Cars and Canines to help shelter dogs find permanent homes. But the future of the organization felt uncertain after Molina was shot and killed in September.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a while, we didn\u2019t know if we were going to let it rest with her,\u201d Espinoza said. \u201cBut we\u2019re going to keep it going. She would love to see the community turnout.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s event brought out dozens of dog lovers hoping to meet their perfect match. Several rescue groups attended, including Mutt Love <\/a>and 2 Rivers dog rescue.<\/a> Organizers said they brought a range of dogs from small breeds to larger dogs and even some with special needs.<\/p>\n The event had something for everyone, for the Maya family, that match was a dog named Jelly.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s older, and we already have a one-year-old puppy,\u201d Rinel Maya said. \u201cShe\u2019ll be a good fit to help show our puppy the ropes.\u201d<\/p>\n With many shelters reporting overcrowded conditions, organizers emphasized the importance of choosing adoption over shopping.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have all shapes and sizes,\u201d Espinoza said. \u201cIf you\u2019re looking for a purebred, the shelter probably has one.\u201d<\/p>\n Organizers say they plan to continue holding Cars and Canines adoption events, with the next one expected early next year.<\/p>\n