Fee-Waived Adoptathon for Adult Dogs Kicks Off Trio of Special Events on August 19
BOSTON, Aug. 14, 2024 – The MSPCA-Angell and its Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) coalition partners are holding special adoption events throughout late August and early September for a wide variety of species in order to free up much needed space in shelters throughout Massachusetts.
“These plans have been in the works for a while now, but were thrown off by Tropical Storm Debby,” explained Mike Keiley, MSPCA-Angell vice president of animal protection, who pointed to the organization’s transport of two dozen dogs from South Carolina on August 7.
“Now that the storm has passed, we’re taking in two additional transports this week of dogs from Charleston Animal Society and Berkeley Animal Center, which are overwhelmed by homeless dogs they took in from other shelters hit harder by the storm.”
The transports will arrive just ahead of the first of the coalition’s trio of events—a fee-waived adoptathon for all dogs aged one and older—August 19 through August 25.
“Our own population of dogs is increasing, and we know that our coalition partners also have plenty of great dogs in their care that need a little boost,” he added. “That’s why we’re starting with a special dog adoption event, even while our other coalition work gets underway, like behavior outreach and increasing veterinary resources in the Springfield area.”
“For much of that work to be successful, we need to free up resources in shelters, and these adoption events are a great way to do just that!”
“Please, Please, Please Come Adopt!”: A Special Dog Adoption Event
“We’re calling this MSPCA Brat Summer, in honor of the girly pop phenomenon that’s taking the country by storm,” Keiley explained, noting that the first adoption event is named in honor of a Sabrina Carpenter song.
All four of the MSPCA’s shelters in Boston, Methuen, Salem, and Centerville on Cape Cod will be waiving adoption fees for all dogs aged one and older, as well as coalition partners Worcester Animal Rescue League (WARL), Berkshire Humane Society, Dakin Humane Society, and Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center (TJO).
“A major goal of the coalition is to increase adoptions, thereby reducing euthanasia and opening up kennel space for dogs that need to be surrendered in the community,” expounded Keiley. “We know that adoptions have slowed down for a variety of factors, some of which we can’t control.”
“But some, like the barrier of adoption fees, we can, so we’re going to waive those and hopefully encourage some people that previously hadn’t considered getting a dog right now to come to the shelters and talk to us about adopting.”
The organizations collectively hope to rehome at least 200 dogs during the seven-day event. Hours vary by location. More information may be found at mspca.org/feewaived.
Up Next, “Felineanomanon”: a Special Cat Adoption Event
“We’ve focused a lot of time on dogs recently, and that makes sense given the ongoing dog population crisis,” said Keiley. “But we and plenty of other shelters in the coalition also have some cats that have been in our care for a while and need an extra boost.”
“This partnership allows us to spotlight those special animals and help find them great homes more quickly.”
During the adoptathon that begins August 26 and runs through August 30, some cats will be available to adopt fee-free, including older cats, those with special medical or behavioral needs, working cats, and those with more particular personalities that are searching for hard-to-find home lifestyles.
All MSPCA shelters, as well as coalition partners WARL, Berkshire Humane, Dakin Humane, and TJO, are participating, as well as non-coalition partners Lowell Humane, Animal Protection Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (APCSM), and Baypath Humane Society of Hopkinton.
“The goal of the coalition is to address the chronic issues facing animal welfare groups across the state,” Keiley elaborated. “These challenges aren’t unique to groups involved in MASS, they’re plaguing all shelters.”
“Given that, we’re opening up all of our adoption events to other local animal welfare groups that want to jump in, and we’re excited to have some on board!”
Hours vary by location. More information will be posted on mspca.org/feewaived in the coming days.
Coming Up: “Pink Piggy Club” Fee-Waived Adoptathon for Small Animals
The coalition plans to wrap up its slate of late-summer adoption events with a fee-waived adoptathon for all small animals, including hamsters, guinea pigs, mice, birds, and rabbits.
“Small animals have been a pain point for shelters for a long time, and many people don’t even realize that they can adopt animals like guinea pigs and rabbits,” Keiley added. “Generally, they stay in shelters twice as long as their dog and cat counterparts, so overcrowding is a big issue.”
“We’re planning to address that with a special fee-waived event in the coming weeks, after we’ve helped rehome dogs and cats.”
More details on the small animal adoption event will be announced at a later date.
