Adoption Event, Clear the Shelters, Aims to Place All Rescued Pets into Loving, Forever Homes
IRVING, Texas (July 20, 2016) – Many people look forward to summer with anticipation and excitement, but in the animal rescue world, summer means high pet intakes, overcrowding, and low adoption rates. Clear the Shelters is one summer adoption event that keeps hopes high.
“We definitely see an increase in pet surrenders and fewer adoptions during the summer months,” said Sarah Kammerer, Executive Director. “The reasons for surrenders are as varied as the pets themselves – owners are moving, they want to go on vacation, they don’t have the time to spend with a pet. Many of those pets end up in municipal shelters or rescue organizations like ours.”
Clear the Shelters has become an annual event that seeks to alleviate low adoption rates. On Saturday, July 23, all pet adoption fees will be waived at 70 shelters, including DFW Humane Society, who will be working together to find homes for all sheltered pets in their care and end the day with rows of empty kennels. Pet adopters will still receive all the adoption benefits including up-to-date vaccinations, general deworming, heartworm tests (for dogs), feline leukemia tests (for cats), microchips and microchip enrollment, and a free wellness exam with a participating vet within the first 10 days. Last year, over 4400 pets were adopted in the North Texas area with only 34 shelters participating, so the expectations for 2016 are high.
“Some people express concern about adopting out pets with no fees,” said Sarah, “but we follow the same adopter vetting processes and procedures that we do every day for every potential adopter to ensure that our pets are heading home with a caring family.”
This year, DFW Humane Society also received a generous $20,000 grant from ASPCA that is providing over 7600 collars to be placed on adopted pets along with their microchip tag prior to leaving the shelters on Saturday. All of our pets leave the shelter with a microchip but providing a visible identifier increases the likelihood that if a pet is lost, it will be easier to return them home. The collars are being distributed to all participating shelters in the North Texas area.
For more information about Clear the Shelters, please visit http://www.cleartheshelters.org. For more information about ASPCA, please visit http://www.aspca.org.
About DFW Humane Society
A non-profit corporation since 1967, the DFW Humane Society accepts no state or federal funding, relying wholly on the generosity of people like you to allow us to rescue hundreds of animals each year. Our mission is to rescue neglected and unwanted pets and give them a second chance in life through adoption. Our shelter is located in the Irving Animal Care Campus at 4140 Valley View Lane, Irving, TX 75038. For more information, please visit https://www.dfwhumane.com.
