LEWISTON — Janet Digregorio of Lisbon smiled as her daughter, Emma, cuddled an 11-week-old beagle/Lab puppy.

She got their current dog, Walker, two years ago through Maine Lab Rescue. “He’s the best dog ever,” Digregorio said. “He needs a buddy. We’re looking.”

With dozens of others, the Digregorios attended an adoption meet-and-greet Saturday by Maine Lab Rescue, an all-volunteer group that rescues puppies, dogs and cats from the South and finds homes for them in Maine.

The adoption event was held at Tractor Supply Co. on Lisbon Street, amid wagging tails and smiles.

Vickie Gould of Lewiston held the leash of a black dog with white-tipped paws and tail. “This is Hudson,” she said. “He’s been in foster. He’s playful, is about six to eight months.”

She used to have two dogs but lost one to bone cancer last month. “It was so painful,” Gould said. “We miss the activity of two dogs.”

She was evaluating whether Hudson would get along with Bear.

A few feet away Charles and Katrina Guignard of Turner were patting 6-year-old Perry. Perry was a stray at an animal control shelter in Georgia.

“He’s a great dog,” Charles Guignard said. “He has a kind personality. He just wants to be with you.”

The couple filled out an adoption application, hoping to take Perry home.

While dogs are generally treated well in New England, that’s not always the case in Southern states, said Deb Cote of Auburn, assistant director of Maine Lab Rescue, which routinely rescues dogs from overpopulated shelters in Georgia. The organization is one of more than 70 rescue groups and shelters registered with Animal Welfare in the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

In the South “there’s a throw-away culture,” Cote said. Too many don’t spay and neuter. “For them a dog is like a lawn ornament, not a family member like up here. It’s a different mentality. In Maine dogs are part of the family,” Cote said. “They’re loved. They’re walked. Dogs are our companions.”

In Georgia too many dogs live tied up outside. When a female dog is fertile, “any dog who comes by can impregnate her,” Cote said. That results in unwanted puppies.

She’s been to the Georgia animal control shelters with Maine Lab Rescue director/founder Erlene LeBorgne. What they’ve seen is heartbreaking: puppies dumped by the road in boxes, shelters full of unwanted animals.

“They’re so full that when a situation comes up and animal control pulls 30 animals in a hoarding situation, they euthanize dogs immediately.”

Cote has read about surrendered dogs. Some were given up because the family was moving. “One was, ‘We got new carpet in our home. The dog didn’t match the carpet.’”

Last year an animal advocate was driving in a rural Georgia when he saw a boy throw a puppy from a bridge, Cote said. The man stopped the boy, who had three other dogs he was about to toss. The man grabbed the puppies and saved the fourth in the water.

All four were eventually placed by Maine Lab Rescue. “They were the sweetest, cutest dogs,” Cote said.

LeBorgne founded Maine Lab Rescue in 2012 after rescuing a kitten, Georgie. In 2011 she saw a Facebook photo of 70 animals whose lives were being spared by advocates in Macon, Ga., LeBorgne said in an email.

She was drawn to one kitten “whose eyes did not meet the camera. This kitten seemed resigned to his fate. I knew it was a fate that I could change.”

She arranged to adopt the kitten. Then keeping track of the animals on Facebook became part of her routine. She formed Maine Lab Rescue, which focuses on Labrador retrievers because they’re “one of the most euthanized breeds in shelters in the South.” She soon realized the need was as great for all dogs and cats.

Working with veterinarians and volunteers in Georgia and Maine, the organization placed 400 animals in homes in its first year. Last year it found homes for 650 animals, mostly dogs because Maine does not have a shortage of cats.

The group has no building; all dogs live with foster volunteers until permanent homes are found.

The group has between 100 and 150 foster volunteers who bring dogs to adoption events at businesses that volunteer space. On Saturday, that location was Tractor Supply Co., which donated dozens of bags of dog food. Other events have been held at pet supply stores and even at car dealerships.

Maine law requires that pets brought into Maine be quarantined for two to five days. They must have been immunized and must have a health certificate from a veterinarian.

Maine Lab Rescue charges $425 to adopt a dog and $185 for a cat. The fees cover medical costs and transportation.

Every time one dog is adopted, it saves another by freeing space in a foster home. “If we didn’t have the foster homes, we couldn’t bring a dog up from Georgia,” Cote said. “Adoption saves lives.”

On Saturday, 12 dogs went home with families, nine applications were turned in from people who wanted to adopt, including the Guignards of Turner. Dogs will be placed after the applications are checked.

A five-month-old puppy, Talia, went home with Kelly and Mike Cross of Sebago and their two children. She’s a rescue from Georgia.

“I thought, ‘What a tough life for a young dog,’” Kelly said. “We’ve been looking for a dog for a really long time to grow with our family. I saw her on the Facebook page and said, ‘This is the one.’”

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Before adopting

Maine Animal Welfare Director Liam Hughes said anyone considering adopting a pet should ask questions and do their homework before bringing the animal home:

* Check for a current state license. The website for that: http://www.maine.gov/dacf/ahw/animal_health/dog_cat_import.shtml.

* Legitimate rescues and shelters never pressure people to take an animal, or meet you in a parking lot at night.

* All pets imported from out of state should have medical records and be isolated before adoption to ensure their health.

* People adopting need to understand what to expect from a new pet, such as behavior issues.

* Have a relationship with a veterinarian. The stress of moving can make animals a little sick. Bring all records from the rescue or shelter to your vet for review.

* Do your homework on what type of dog or cat you want, and the rescue organization. “