The VHS is hosting an adopt-a-thon of epic proportions on Friday & Saturday, December 18th and 19th. Trust us when we say that it is an event not to be missed.
For the first time, the Vanderburgh Humane Society will be hosting an “Empty the Shelter†event with 100% waived adoption fees on all shelter animals. This includes dogs, cats, and rabbits. The event will kick off at 10:00 am on Friday, December 18th. VHS will have extended hours on both days, opening early (10:00 am instead of noon) and closing late (8:00 pm instead of the normal 6:00.) All hands will be on deck for this event, including all staff members, a legion of volunteers, and board members.
Other shelters nationwide have recently held events like this with overwhelming success. Kentucky Humane Society did one in September 2015, and had 84 adoptions in 12 hours. Over 400 shelters did a massive event in Texas and 3 other surrounding states in August 2015. 20,000 animals found homes and 20 shelters were completely emptied. Best Friends Animal Society, a huge no-kill agency with a sanctuary in Utah and affiliate shelters across the Southwest, did a Black Friday event just this past weekend waiving all fees for black & mostly-black animals. Another great example is Summit County Animal Control in Akron, Ohio. At their event just a few weeks ago, all 93 animals in the building were adopted in 90 minutes. People were in line hours before the event started, and by the time the shelter opened, the line was 300 people long.
The obvious well-meaning concerns that many individuals have are that people who cannot afford to pay an adoption fee, cannot afford to have a pet. One is inclined to believe that those who get “free†animals are much more likely to abuse them, abandon them, or return them to the shelter once the excitement wears off.
The ASPCA has done extensive research into these very issues. They recently conducted a study at the Edmonson Humane Society analyzing 344 cat adopters. 138 families paid adoption fees, and 206 did not. What they discovered was that paying the adoption fee seemed to have no bearing on whether or not the cat received follow-up veterinary care, and it also did not affect retention. Both groups had families who did provide their cats with vet care, and families who did not. More than 80% of the fee-waived families indicated that they valued their cats and would adopt again.
A 2006 study conducted by ASPCA Senior Director of Shelter Research and Development, Emily Weiss and Shannon Gramann, ASPCA Manager of Shelter Research and Development, compared “the attachment levels of adopters of cats — fee based adoptions vs. free adoptions.” These were their results, which were published in Vol. 12 Issue 4 of the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science.
- Attachment to cats adopted from the study facility was not decreased when adoption fees were eliminated
- Eliminating adoption fees does not devalue the animals in the eyes of the adopters
- Free adult cat programs could “dramatically impact the lives of thousands of shelter cats who would otherwise reside in a shelter for months or be euthanized.”
Source: http://aspcapro.org/why-you-should-waive-fees
While VHS realizes that many members of the public would be opposed to and perhaps even vehemently angered by an event like this, they would like to reassure the public that all normal adoption procedures will still be in place.
- All adopters must fill out a 2-page application and provide a valid photo ID
- VHS Adoption Counselors and/or volunteers help families to choose a pet that is an ideal match for their family based on ages and personalities of family members, living situations, financial situations, other pets in the home, and so on
- Canine meet & greets and landlord approval (or homeownership verification) will still be required
- Each adopter will sign a legal binding contract, as they always have, to care for the animal for its lifetime, provide it with veterinary care, and return it to VHS if they should ever be unable to keep it
- VHS has always and will continue to reserve the right to deny adoptions for any reason.
The fact of the matter is, VHS can never guarantee with 100% certainty that every animal is entering a permanent, loving home. Even if each animal cost 1 million dollars to adopt, someone who could afford
that fee is still perfectly capable of abusing that animal. All any animal welfare group can do is trust the internal controls they have in place, have conversations with adopters in order to make good matches, and have faith in the people that they are entrusting with their dear shelter pets’ lives. Events like these do not so much attract the “bottom of the barrel†adopters who cannot afford animals, but the promotion alone attracts families who simply may not have known where VHS was or who may have been considering adoption at other places.
Anyone age 18 or older can adopt from the Vanderburgh Humane Society, including those from out-of-state. If a person can make the trip to the facility and transport the animal back home with them, they can adopt just as a resident of Evansville can. VHS has no income or residency requirements for any of their services.
As of today, VHS has 158 cats, 24 dogs, and 17 rabbits in their care. They regularly lose money on each adoption (an average of $100 per animal). An event like this will cost the shelter well over $25,000 in testing, vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries, microchips, staff time, food, and lost adoption fees. The current focus is to seek business or individual sponsors to underwrite costs. Ultimately, VHS’ goal is to find homes for every animal in their care. But they must also keep the doors open, so that they can continue to help more homeless animals long after the ones they have are gone. They cannot do events like these without financial support from the community.
VHS implores those who cannot adopt to donate or sponsor an adoption instead. $100 pays for an adoption fee for one dog or up to three cats. Those who wish to help us continue to save more lives can visit www.firstgiving.com/vhs/adoptathon to make a tax-deductible donation.
Currently, each VHS shelter animal will spend Christmas Eve in a cage or small room. They will receive a few minutes of extra treats and pets, but ultimately the staff must turn off the lights and leave for the night. The staff and volunteers’ dream is to see those animals instead spend Christmas snuggled in a warm bed with the humans who love them. Each one of them deserves that. The end-all goal is for every single available animal at the Vanderburgh Humane Society to be adopted in 20 hours during this event.
To arrange a live remote or photo opportunity, contact Amanda or Kendall at the information above.
