Now through September 19, you can adopt a Burlington Animal Services (BAS) pet for a fraction of the usual cost, thanks to the nationwide Clear the Shelters initiative.
The initiative aims to encourage the public to support local animal shelters with adoption and donation to the animal shelters. To encourage this, BAS has cut the adoption fee for all animals to just $ 10. If adoption is not possible, Greater Good Charities has made it possible to help with donations anyway.
All proceeds from adoptions and donations go to the BAS Medical Fund, which pays the out-of-home medical costs for things like x-rays and blood tests for the animals they keep.
Clear the Shelters began in Dallas-Fort Worth in 2014, and before last year it was just a weekend event calling for animal shelters and rescue services to waive or drastically reduce pet adoption fees.
BAS program manager Laura Michel said due to Covid the premise of the initiative changed and it became a month long event that focused not only on increasing pet adoption but also on fundraising.
From the beginning of the year in spring, BAS recorded an increase in the number of animals coming to the animal shelter. That number continues to rise in summer and early autumn, said Michel. Clear the Shelters and similar initiatives relieve the shelters.
“That’s why you have it at this time of year, because every single animal shelter struggles with so many animals in the summer months and your resources are really exhausted,” said Michel. “It’s a drain on your employees, it’s a drain on your financial resources, it’s just a tough time.”
Michel added that without the many Alamance County’s residents caring for animals, it would be nearly impossible for BAS to provide the high levels of care they currently provide.
For BAS, Clear the Shelters and other similar events have been hugely successful in terms of the number of animals adopted.
“These fee discount offers are absolutely helpful and encourage people to start adopting, and we have no higher returns or problems compared to the $ 90 fee,” said Michel.
Michel noted that groups like the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society are promoting programs to reduce adoption fees because there is no point in making adoption more expensive or difficult – someone who wants to adopt a pet will find a way to do it . When shelters make adoption affordable and accessible, it works better for everyone involved.
“If you don’t adopt her, if you have a lot of barriers, be it a high adoption fee or an application process, all those restrictions, you will go somewhere else …” she said. “I would much rather have someone come here and pay $ 10 or $ 20 because they can afford it, and I know that if the animal goes here, it is spayed or neutered, it is fully vaccinated and in.. really in reasonably good health and hopefully this person will take care of them and give them a good home. “
In addition, many partner companies and organizations collect donations up to a certain amount during the Clear the Shelters event. On Tuesday, Hill’s Pet Nutrition will match all donations up to $ 25,000, Michel said.
To donate to BAS, go to www.clearthesheltersfund.org and choose Burlington Animal Services; To learn more about pet adoption and how it works, contact BAS.
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