Volunteers and staff members of two local animal shelters, McKamey Animal Center and the Humane Educational Society in Chattanooga, are teaming up to help as many animals as possible find a home for the holidays. The staff and volunteers will be putting in a "Holiday All-Nighter" on Friday, Dec. 16 from noon-midnight. For twelve hours non-stop, the shelters will be adopting animals at discounted adoption fees at both locations; HES, 212 N. Highland Park Ave.; and McKamey Animal Center, 4500 N. Access Road.
"The holidays are a tough time for everyone and the animals are no exception," said Jamie McAloon, McKamey's executive director. "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 until midnight, until every last pet goes home."
In 2015, there were 127 animals adopted between the two shelters.
If you can't adopt but still want to help you can. On Saturday, Dec. 17, both shelters will be fostering out the animals that don't get adopted as part of the Home for the Holidays Foster Event.
"In previous years, the 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 for a two week period over the holidays until Jan. 2, 2017. 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 by going to the shelter's website listed below or emailing McKamey at kkwilson@mckameyanimalcenter.org or at Humane Educational Society it's Foster@heschatt.org," officials said.
This is the third annual "Holiday All-Nighter" at the two shelters. To help kick off the festivities, all adoption fees are reduced. Cats are $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 Holiday photos.
"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 at www.heschatt.org or www.mckameyanimalcenter.org.