Ulster County’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is hosting the Bissell Foundation’s Empty the Shelter event from Wednesday, Oct. 6 to Sunday, Oct. 10 where people can adopt an adult cat or dog for $25.
According to a 2019-2020 APPA survey, 67% of households owned a pet in the United States. The same survey found that 50% of the U.S. population owns a dog. It also showed that 36% of dogs are adopted from animal shelters/rescues, 19% are adopted from a breeder, 5% are taken in as strays, 9% are bought from pet stores, 18% are obtained from friends or a relative and the remaining are given as gifts or taken into a home in some other fashion.
The onset of the pandemic sparked thousands of families to adopt dogs since they were going to be home for an unforeseeable amount of time. This led some shelters to quite literally run out of animals for adoption. However, some reports have shown that as people return to work, they are also returning their pets.
Aron Jones, executive director of Moms and Mutts Colorado Rescue, told USA TODAY her organization “couldn’t rescue enough dogs to meet the demand” when the pandemic began. Now she said, the amount of returns doubled what they typically saw in a year, with many of the animals being around 1-year-old.
These puppies need a home – and what better way to find them their forever home than have an adoption clinic set on clearing out the shelter?
Ulster County SPCA hopes its event will end in loving homes for all its residents.
By partnering with the Bissell Foundation, the shelter is able to significantly lower the price of adoption, meaning hopefully more of the animals will end up in their forever home. The Bissell Foundation teamed up with over 180 shelters across 35 states to cover the cost of this event from Oct. 4 to Oct. 10. The foundation’s website reads:
BISSELL Pet Foundation supports programs and initiatives that are focused on addressing the pet overpopulation crisis in our country. Through funding for pet adoption, spay/neuter, microchipping and emergencies we are making a difference to reduce the number of pets in shelters and rescues. We are proud to have supported the lifesaving work of the following animal welfare organizations in all 50 states.
The Bissell Foundation thrives off of donations and proceeds from events such as the Empty the Shelter event. Anyone looking to help support the cause can donate through their website.Interested parties can visit the center on the days of the event, or visit the shelter’s website to find their forever friend.
