HAMILTON COUNTY, Ind. — The Humane Society for Hamilton County — desperate for space in the midst of what shelter staff is calling a capacity "crisis" — is hosting a Black Friday adoption event allowing people to donate as little as $1 to take home a pet.
The shelter's "priceless" adoption event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.
HSHC explained the love of pets is priceless, so adopters can make a donation of any amount to get a pet on Black Friday.
The shelter is currently in a state of extreme overcrowding. Staff hope that adoptions during the event will create additional space so HSHC can rescue animals from other Indiana shelters that are currently at risk for euthanasia.
"We are in crisis, which means we cannot help the other shelters like IACS who are depending on us," explained Rebecca Stevens, the president and CEO of HSHC.
HSHC is one of the few open-admission, truly “no-kill” organizations in the United States in that it does not euthanize animals for time, space, treatable injuries, illnesses or rehabilitative behavior issues regardless of age, breed, disability or special needs, a news release said.
Right now, the shelter has hundreds of adoptable dogs and cats, with dogs being the main capacity issue.
"Each day we are counting kennels to see where we can place dogs and cats coming into our shelter," said Stevens. "We have to keep pets moving out the front door so we have room for the ones coming in the back door."
Before you head to the shelter on Black Friday, there are a few things you need to know:
- HSHC requires canine adopters to bring all family members as well as any dogs in the home to meet with a potential shelter dog.
- Cat adopters must bring all human family members.
- Those renting properties are recommended to bring the landlord’s pet policy.
- All adopters are required to present a government-issued ID.
All pets that are up for adoption are spayed/neutered, microchipped, and have at least one round of age-appropriate vaccinations.