VHS TO HOST MAJOR HOLIDAY “EMPTY THE SHELTER”  ADOPT-A-THON WITH WAIVED FEES

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The VHS is hosting an adopt-a-thon of epic proportions on Friday & Saturday, December 16th & 17th. It is an event not to be missed.

 

For the second year, 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 16th. 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 and a host of volunteers.

 

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.
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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.”

 

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