Eleven animal shelters in Indiana will temporarily lower their adoption fees to $70 or less from Friday until September 30 as part of the Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters initiative. This effort aims to help pets find homes and alleviate overcrowding in facilities.
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The event will take place at 269 shelters across 36 states, with the foundation sponsoring the reduced fees to facilitate pet adoptions while creating space for incoming animals. All participating pets will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped prior to adoption.
Participating shelters include the Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County in Pierceton and the Bartholomew County Humane Society in Columbus. Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control will also participate, offering reduced fees at its main location and various offsite spots; specific hours can be found in individual business listings.
Other contributing shelters are the Greensburg Decatur County Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Whitley County in Columbia City. The Independent Cat Society in Westville is included but applies to cat adoptions only, requiring preapproval by September 21.
In southern Indiana, the Jeffersonville Animal Shelter and New Albany Animal Control and Shelter, along with NewLife Rescue and Adoption in Mount Vernon, are also taking part. The South Bend Animal Resource Center and Wabash County Animal Shelter are among the other shelters participating in the initiative.
The Bissell Pet Foundation initiated this program in 2016, and according to a Tuesday news release, it has successfully helped more than 431,000 pets find homes. The release emphasized that shelters across the country continue to struggle with capacity due to high intake rates.