3.9 million dogs and 3.4 million cats end up in U.S. animal shelters every year, but only 2.7 million get adopted. One impediment to their ability to find homes is the adoption fee, which can range from $35-300.
As the holidays have draw closer, people are celebrating in this spirit of giving by removing this obstacle.
On Black Friday, the Indianapolis Humane Society waived its adoption fees, leading to a surge in adoptions. And this isn't the first contribution of its kind, Bustle points out.
Someone donated $780 to Newberg Animal Shelter in Oregon on Monday, according to KPTV, helping people take five dogs home. WLWT5 reported last week that Chasing Violet Photography and Design did the same thing at Kenton County Animal Shelter in Kentucky.
Real estate agent Kim Pacini-Hauch is covering adoptions at Front Street Animal Shelter in Sacramento through December 31, according to The Sacramento Bee, and Howard and Beth Stern covered North Shore Animal League fees for several days earlier this month.
By making a donation like this to your local shelter, you provide a gift to the animals and the humans who get to keep them. Or, you could even offer to cover the fee for someone you love. That way, they can take home their pets with plenty of money left over to buy all the holiday toys and treats their pet deserves.