Volunteers and staff members of two local animal shelters, McKamey Animal Center and the Humane Education Society in Chattanooga are teaming up to help as many animals as possible find a home for the holidays.
Shelter staff and volunteers will be staying for a “Holiday All-Nighter” at their shelters on Friday Dec. 19 from 4 p.m.-4 a.m., for twelve hours straight adopting homeless animals from both shelter locations. HES is located at 212 N. Highland Park Ave. and McKamey Animal Center at 4500 N. Access Road. The goal is to put every pet in a good home for the holidays.
“The holidays are a tough time for everyone and the animals are no exception,” stated Anna Baker, director of Outreach Programs at McKamey. “We see more animals brought to the shelter the week before Christmas than any other week of the year, other than the Fourth of July. We’re lucky because we have homes to go to at the end of the day but they don’t. That’s why we’re staying all night at the shelter with these homeless dogs and cats until every last one goes home with a good family.”
The Home for the Holidays Foster Event kicks off the following Tuesday, as foster parents descend on the two shelters to temporarily foster those animals not adopted. It’s an extremely popular program: foster parents are asked to take a shelter pet into their home from Dec. 23 until Jan. 2. The staff estimates that 85 percent of the foster pets that go into a foster home are adopted while in foster care. It’s a very successful program and residents of Hamilton County are invited to apply to be foster parents.
This is the inaugural “Holiday All-Nighter” at the two shelters. To help kick off the festivities, all adoption fees are reduced. Cats are only $12 and dogs are $24, which includes the pet’s spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip. In addition there will be hot chocolate, refreshments, door prizes and an All-Nighter Pajama Contest at 11 p.m. (open to the public) with 1st and 2nd place prizes.
“You know you have a dedicated team of volunteers and supporters when they are willing to give up their holidays to spend it with the animals all night long,” said HES Director Bob Citrullo.
For more information on donating or adopting go to the shelters’ websites or e-mail or visit the shelter at www.mckameyanimalcenter.org or www.heschatt.com.