Home for the Holidays or Bust! That is the mantra of the staff and volunteers of local animal shelter McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga. Volunteers and staff members are gearing 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 the shelter on Friday, from noon until midnight. For 12 hours straight the staff and volunteers will be adopting homeless animals 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," said Mo Greany, McKamey adoption counselor. "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 at the shelter with these homeless dogs and cats until every last one goes home with a good family."
In addition to the adoption event, the center is participating in Home for the Holidays Foster Event that kicks off on Tuesday, as foster parents descend on the shelter to temporarily foster those animals not adopted. It is an extremely popular program: foster parents are asked to take a shelter pet into their home from Dec. 22 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 is a very successful program and residents of Hamilton County are invited to apply to be foster parents.
This is the fourth "Holiday All-Nighter" at McKamey. To help kick off the festivities, all adoption fees are reduced. Cats are only $12 and dogs are $24, which includes the pets spay/neuter, vaccinations and microchip. In addition there will be hot chocolate, refreshments and door 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 Jamie McAloon, McKamey's executive director.
For more information on donating or adopting go to the shelters' website at
mckameyanimalcenter.org or look them up on Facebook.