The Walker County Animal Shelter will host a "12 Hours of Christmas Adopt-A-Thon" on Saturday, Dec. 16. The event will run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the shelter, at 5488 North Marble Top Road near Chickamauga.
The shelter will offer special adoption pricing during the Christmas Adopt-A-Thon. Dogs will be $30, while cats will be $15. Regular adoption fees run $65 for dogs and $30 for cats. All animals available for adoption will be spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies.
"We hope this event will encourage someone interested in pet ownership to give the gift of family to one of our shelter pets," said Stephanie Lea, Shelter Rescue coordinator. "A new home would be greater than the grandest gift mentioned in the '12 Days of Christmas' song. Inspired by that theme, we want to adopt out at least one animal every hour during the adopt-a-thon."
Community members are also encouraged to drop by the shelter between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. during the Christmas Adopt-A-Thon for pet photos with Santa. A professional photographer will be available, providing printed photos for a nominal fee, or you can use your own camera for free. Visitors are also invited to tour the shelter during the event.
"Walker County has made great strides this year toward increasing the number of live outcomes at our shelter," said Joe Legge, Public Relations director for Walker County. "The number of dogs adopted, sent to a rescue or returned to their owner is up about 7% compared to 2016. Our live outcomes for cats is even better, improving about 20%."
Officials said, "Events like the '12 Hours of Christmas Adopt-A-Thon' continue the Walker County Animal Shelter's mission of placing adoptable animals into good, loving homes. "