Free the Shelters Waives Adoption Fees in Norwalk and Bethel

From PRAI Beauty: Cathy Kangas of PRAI Beauty, based in New Canaan, announced that she is bringing the beauty brand’s national “Free the Shelters” campaign to her home state of Connecticut by sponsoring adoption fees at PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society) in Norwalk and DAWS (Danbury Animal Welfare Society). The no-fee adoption event at the two shelters begins on Friday, July 14, and continues through Sunday, July 16.

PAWS is located at 504 Main Avenue in Norwalk. It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for free adoptions. Prior to arriving at the shelter, prospective pet owners need to complete an Adoption Application on their website, www.pawsct.org

DAWS located at 147 Grassy Plain Street in Bethel will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the adoption event. Those interested in the free adoption program need to go to the shelter’s website, www.daws.org, and complete a form prior to meeting with an adoption counselor. At both locations every effort will be made to do same-day adoptions.

Cathy Kangas is the CEO and Founder of PRAI Beauty, a global skincare line sold at Lord & Taylor and on home shopping networks around the world. She launched the PRAI for PAWS initiative which donates a portion of every PRAI purchase to animal welfare causes.

In addition, she a member of the Board of Directors for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and believes that waiving adoption fees at shelters will help solve the problem of homeless animals.

Kangas said: “I am delighted to work with PAWS and DAWS in sponsoring free adoptions in my home state of Connecticut. Shelters should be short-term foster homes rather than a long-term jail sentence for companion animals. It is my vision to roll out ‘Free the Shelters’ across the nation, going from shelter to shelter to help animals find their forever home.”

The PRAI Beauty “Free the Shelters” campaign launched in May and has already sponsored adoption fees for more than 550 animals at shelters run by the SPCA in Tampa Bay, Florida; Dogs and Cats Forever in Ft. Pierce, Fla.; Adopt-A-Dog in Armonk, N.Y.; PetWorks, which serves the communities of Sullivan County, Bluff City and Kingsport in Tennessee; and Great Plains SPCA, with shelters in Independence, Missouri and Merriam, Kansas. West Valley Animal Services and West Los Angeles Animal Services, which are part of LA Animal Services’ municipal shelters, also participated.

About 2.4 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs – about one every 13 seconds – are put down in U.S. shelters each year.1Research has shown that removing adoption fees increases the number and speed of pet adoptions and reduces euthanasia.2Furthermore, there are no significant differences in outcome between pets adopted with or without a fee.3

Kangas said, “We pride ourselves in being first at PRAI Beauty and this campaign is no exception. We are starting a movement. Shelter pets can be pedigree or mutts, young or old…they’re all perfect and they need to find good homes. With this campaign, we will make it easier for every dog, cat and pocket pet to find its forever home!”

Image via Pixabay