Barking could be heard coming from a place known better for horses Sunday. The annual Animal Rescue Fair returned to the Wills Park Equestrian Center, with hundreds of rescue pets ready for a new home.

The threat of rain reduced the crowd, though those who skipped this year missed a great opportunity as previous years have been hot and humid. But Penne Crews, organizer of ARF, said the rain helped in one way.

"The rain hurt us some. But where can people go with the weather? They can't play ball, they can't take their dogs, they can't take their kids outside. So we have seen more people here today [Sunday], more families with their dogs. And looking for a new permanent companion for what they've already got," Crews said.

Crews said 45 different rescue organizations participated, coming from all over north Georgia, with 22 vendors.

Lance White of the Humane Society of Forsyth County said this was the first time the county's animal control shelter allowed them to bring pets for adoption outside of Forsyth County. They've just been working together in PAWS Across Forsyth since last December, with regular adoption days at the Petco in Cumming.

"It's the first time in 27 years that they've allowed animals to come outside the shelter to be adopted," White said.

All the animals were spayed, microchipped, rabies shots, everything, and they're all $85," he said. "The county dogs are on death row, basically."

Tom Wargo, founder of Daffy's Pet Soup Kitchen out of Lilburn, was glad his group benefited from the bags of pet food donated by visitors to ARF. But he said the group is about more than the Pet Soup Kitchen, being involved in pet adoptions as well. He said this was the first time he's adopted out two kittens.