LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Valentine’s Day is less than a week away.
In honor of the holiday, Bissell Pet Foundation is having its annual ‘Empty the Shelters’ event with the theme ‘Adopt your Valentine.’
“There are so many pets in shelters that need our help, like this kitty here, Vagan, who came here by no fault of his own and he really needs a home. So, these events just really allow us to highlight animals in shelters and encourage people to come out to their local shelter and check out the wonderful animals that are there that need our help,” said Julia Willson, President and CEO of the Capital Area Humane Society.
Some participating shelters in mid-Michigan include Ingham County Animal Control, Capital Area Humane Society, Jackson County Animal Shelter, and Ionia County Animal Shelter.
Regular adoption fees for a dog are around $175 and for a cat it’s around $50.
During ‘Empty the Shelters’ it’s $25 to adopt a dog and $10 to adopt a cat.
All animals are fixed, updated on vaccines, and microchipped.
“So when you come in, you kind of get a special adoption fee as a part of this event. It also just encourages and promotes shelter adoption throughout the state,” said Willson.
Since the event began in 2016, it’s helped nearly 140,000 pets find loving homes, making it the largest funded adoption event in the U.S.
“We love the idea that there aren’t any animals that need to come to a shelter, but the reality is, in our community and communities throughout the country, there are more animals than homes for them. It’s great to have events like this that promote the adoption of shelter animals. We hope that people are always thinking about coming to a shelter when they want to add a pet to their family,” said Wilson.
Hopefully, many furry friends go home with their new Valentines this week.
