FARMINGTON -- The Farmington Regional Animal Shelter is one of 200 participating shelters that is being sponsored by the BISSELL Pet Foundation so that adoptions can be $5 this weekend.
Farmington Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Christa Chapman said the mission of BISSELL is to find every pet a loving home though the Empty the Shelter program. According to Chapman, the foundation created the reduced-fee adoption event so that there would be an “immediate impact” on pet homelessness.
Empty the Shelters, made possible through the BISSELL Pet Foundation, makes adoption affordable for those looking to adopt, and reimburses shelters for every pet adopted during the event to help cover costs associated with spay/neuter, microchipping, vaccination and other things the animals might need.
Stacie Voss, animal welfare director at the shelter, said the shelter and animals love the adoption events.
“It's a chance to show off our great pets to the community and get people excited about pet adoption,” Voss said. “We have a lot of great animals come through our doors that just need a second chance and a loving home."
One of the shelter dogs up for adoption is Lucky, a tri-pod, or three-legged dog. Chapman said Lucky was brought into the shelter with a “severely broken foot.”
“It looked like he may have been stepped on by a horse or something else really heavy,” Chapman said. “The shelter ended up amputating the leg and now he is doing really well.”
Chapman said Lucky is moving around like a normal dog and is available for an adoption fee of $5. The standard pricing for animals on other days can range from $25 to $100.
"When we have more room and fewer animals in the building we have the capacity to save animals that might need a little more intensive care and time to heal,” Voss said. “Adoption events, like Empty the Shelters, really help us increase our adoptions and ensure that we have the space to treat animals like Lucky."
Those interested in the adoption event should visit www.fmtn.org/AnimalShelter
mmitchell@durangoherald.com
