Animal Rescue League of Berks County is part of 275+ shelters participating in the spring “Empty the Shelters” event
As shelters across the country face overcrowding, BISSELL Pet Foundation is aiming to “Empty the Shelters” by sponsoring reduced adoption fees of $25 for cats and dogs from May 2-12. This event will be hosted in more than 275 shelters in 40 states, including the Animal Rescue League of Berks County (ARL).
Cats and dogs over 6 months old will be eligible for this promotion at the ARL. All adopters must go through the ARL’s regular procedures to adopt, including the completion of an adoption profile and speaking with an adoption counselor to ensure that the pet they select is a good match for their home, family, and lifestyle. “We do not take any shortcuts when we host free adoption weekends,” says Alexis Pagoulatos, the ARL’s executive director. “We want to do everything we can to make sure that all of our pets find great homes, no matter if their new family is paying for them or not.”
Adopters are encouraged to bring their family members and other house dogs to meet the pet they are interested in before completing the adoption. Dog adopters will also want to bring cash or a check for a $7 dog license, which is required at the time of adoption under PA law. Adopters will also want to bring a cat carrier (or they can purchase one from the ARL for $5) and a dog collar and leash (or they can purchase one from the ARL).
All interested adopters can visit www.berksarl.org/pets/ to view the available pets.
“Empty the Shelters,” BISSELL Pet Foundation’s largest program, began in 2016 as an effort to encourage more families to adopt a pet into their homes. More than 83,000 pets have found adoptive homes through this reduced-fee adoption event. Since its inception, this lifesaving event has expanded to organizations in 45 states and Canada, partnering with a total of 443 animal welfare organizations.
“Shelters across the country are over capacity, and highly adoptable pets are at risk as we face one of the largest crises in recent years,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “BISSELL Pet Foundation is calling on people to visit their community shelters during ‘Empty the Shelters’ to save a life through adoption. Without you, there is no tomorrow for these deserving pets.”
“The ARL’s partnership in the Bissel Empty the Shelter events continues to be a life-changing event for our animal population,” said Ashley Mikulsky, Chief Development Officer of the ARL. “Promotions like this draw much-needed attention to animals that might otherwise be overlooked, and Bissell’s vast network spreads the word about our shelter far beyond what we could do ourselves. This is especially important now that we are dealing with critical space availability.”
BISSELL Pet Foundation and the ARL urge families to do their research about the pet they are interested in adopting, as well as adoption requirements. For more information on adopting or donating to “Empty the Shelters,” visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters as well as www.berksarl.org/pets.
