Nearly Free: Dec. 13-14 'Empty The Shelter' Pet Adoption Events

PHOENIX, AZ — If you’re planning to add a cat or dog to your family this holiday season, you might consider waiting for reduced (or eliminated) adoption fees during the “Empty the Shelters — Holiday Hope” adoption events in Phoenix this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 13-14. You might want to start the process now, though, to bring a pet into your home by the time adoption day rolls around.

Participating shelters in Phoenix include:

• Maricopa County Animal Care & Control, 2500 S. 27th Ave., Phoenix and 2630 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., Mesa
• Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA, 25 N. 40th St., Phoenix and 3111 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler (Chandler Fashion Center)

Both animal adoption organizations have an "Empty the Shelters" event running Dec. 13-14 at their Phoenix and East Valley locations.

The Bissell Pet Foundation will pay all animal adoption fees at the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA's event Dec. 13-14, so adopters pay nothing. At the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control event Dec. 13-14, the foundation pays all adoption fees in full except for puppies.

Days and hours for “Empty the Shelters — Holiday Hope” adoption events are:

• Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (at Phoenix and Mesa locations): Dec. 13 — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Dec. 14 — 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA: Dec. 13 (Phoenix location) – 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and (Chandler location) 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Dec. 14 — (Phoenix location) 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and (Chandler location) 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Nationwide, nearly 120 shelters in 22 states are reducing or eliminating adoption fees during the Empty the Shelters event, sponsored by the nonprofit Bissell Pet Foundation. The pets will be microchipped and spayed or neutered.

Because adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment, shelters like the Maricopa County Animal Care & Control and the Arizona Animal Welfare League & SPCA place a priority on finding loving homes. Pets at the participating shelters are available for adoption in the days leading up to the Empty the Shelter days — so if you’ve already met the right pet for your family, Bissell Pet Foundation recommends going ahead and making that commitment now.

The Arizona Animal Welfare League recommends bringing current household pets with you when you come to the shelter to look for more pets, to see how the animals interact. Bringing a carrier if adopting a cat and a collar and leash if adopting a dog is also recommended.

The goal of Bissell Pet Foundation is to help end pet homelessness. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals estimates 6.5 million pets go to shelters every year in the United States.

“To permanently end the homeless pet problem, everyone across the country needs to understand that there are beautiful, worthy animals in shelters who should be the first choice when bringing a pet into your home,” Cathy Bissell, the organization’s founder, said in a news release. “You will get the most loving pet who will literally change your life because it’s so grateful to be loved. I want every person to know they can be part of the solution if they adopt a shelter pet.”

Since the foundation’s first Empty the Shelters event in 2016, nearly 27,000 pets have been adopted. The pet foundation is a charity of Bissell Homecare Inc., a manufacturer of floor-care products.