The California Animal Welfare Association, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals today announced the results of the first-ever California Adopt-a-Pet Day, with 3,609 pets adopted into loving homes on June 1.
The day-long event included more than 170 animal welfare organizations across the state working collaboratively to exceed the original goal of finding homes for 2,024 pets. The ASPCA provided funds to cover the cost of the adoptions at participating shelters so that they were free to the public.
Among the 3,609 pets adopted on the day were 1,977 cats, 1,541 dogs, and 91 others, including rabbits, guinea pigs, and other small animals. One of the pets matched with a loving family was a dog named Nelly, a three-and-a-half-year-old mastiff mix who had been in the care of Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter for a year and a half after arriving there as a stray.
Described by shelter staff as sweet and shy, Nelly was finally matched with an adopter on California Adopt-a-Pet Day when San Ramon resident, Sahiba Singh, travelled 40 minutes to meet her after seeing her on the shelter’s social media posts. Within minutes of meeting, Nelly, who normally takes a long time to warm up to strangers, was sitting on Sahiba’s feet. Now nicknamed Nelly Bean, she was quickly adopted by Sahiba and is happily settling into her new home.
“Her little lopsided face is perfect,” Sahiba Singh said. “She jumped out at me immediately. I read that she was shy and needed a quiet home. We have that. I had to meet her. She is so happy here, and we love her so much. We are going to give her a lifetime of reasons to wag.”
Jill Tucker, chief executive officer of CalAnimals, said, “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude by the number of Californians that visited their local shelter on June 1, and am thrilled to find that for many, this was their very first time adopting a shelter pet. Our shelters are overcrowded with a variety of wonderful animals just waiting for people to come and meet them, and it is our greatest hope that members of the public will visit shelters first when they are ready for a new pet.
Tucker thanked all the shelters that participated in the event held to promote adoptions and extended her gratitude to the ASPCA and the San Francisco SPCA for making it possible. “We have illustrated that by working together, we can truly make a difference,” she said.
Dr Jennifer Scarlett, chief executive officer of the San Francisco SPCA, said, “On June 1, we saw just how important our animal shelters are to the people of California. They heard our call to action and responded in kind. As a result of this event, thousands of households are now enriched by having a special pet in their lives, and our shelters received the support and attention they deserve.”
Matt Bershadker, president and chief executive officer of the ASPCA, said, “The success of California Adopt-a-Pet Day underscores the tremendous appeal of shelter animals and the unique power of the human-animal bond. It also is an inspiring message to shelters, pet owners, and the animal welfare community that when we come together, we can make change for animals in need.”
Bershadker added, “Knowing that 3,609 shelter animals found homes in a single day when national and local animal welfare groups work together is proof that collaboration is key to saving more lives not only in California but across the country.”
Shelters in California have faced a large influx of animals in recent years as a result of challenges facing pet owners, including economic hardships, the difficulties of accessing pet-friendly housing, and the lack of affordable veterinary care due to a shortage of veterinarians. These challenges often force families to make the difficult choice to part with their pets and have prevented many from adopting new ones, the ASPCA said in a press release. California has one of the highest rates of renters in the country, and housing is one of the biggest barriers for families being able to keep or adopt a pet.
California Adopt-a-Pet Day was managed by CalAnimals, which focuses on the success of California animal welfare and sheltering organizations in meeting the needs of animals and people in their communities. The organization was born in 2018 through a merger between California’s two statewide animal-welfare associations: California Animal Control Directors Association and State Humane Association of California.
The initiative was supported by the SF SPCA, an independent, community-supported nonprofit that works in San Francisco, the Central Valley, and across California to ensure that every companion animal has access to quality medical care, compassionate shelter, and a loving home, and the ASPCA, the oldest animal welfare organization in North America that works to protect millions of dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals against animal cruelty and homelessness.
The next annual California Adopt-a-Pet Day will take place in June next year.
SOURCE: PR Newswire
