Adoption Fees on Animals 4 & Older Are Waived
While you can’t wrap them, per se, a new pet is a most enjoyable and thoughtful gift – for a human and the animal itself.
The Tri-Cities Animal Shelter & Adoption Center, a collaboration between the cities of Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Duncanville, is helping make that happen. In fact, it is one of several ways folks can help the shelter in its mission to find animals new homes, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the entire year.
During the holiday season, the shelter is waiving the adoption fee on animals age 4 and older. Mary White, interim director of the Friends of The Tri-City Animal
Shelter and a member of the board of directors, acknowledged that it is well known that most people are looking for younger animals when it comes time to adopt.
“Various reasons for this,” she explained. “They want kids to grow up simultaneously with a pet. They think young pets are more easily trainable. They think the pets won’t already have any bad habits. And let’s face it, what’s cuter than a puppy or kitten?”
However, older animals need love to, White stressed. Much like the human adoption system, babies are awesome, but if they are the only ones getting attention, what happens to the rest?
Christmas Donations Make Great Gifts
What makes the needs of the Tri-City Animal Shelter critical is that it is an “open-admission” shelter. This means if the animal comes from those three cities the shelter accepts them. They do not pick-and-choose which ones to accept. White said that means that frequently those animals are the most vulnerable and hard-to-adopt.
A Christmas donation in someone’s name is also a special holiday gift, White said, giving an example.
“Sister lives in South Carolina and brother lives in Cedar Hill. Sister says, ‘My brother and his family and my family here decided rather than shipping gifts cross country – when we all have everything we need anyway – let’s choose a shelter in each other’s area and donate to them.’
“So, the Friends (of the Tri-Cities Shelter) received a generous donation, ‘Merry Christmas to brother’s family’s name,’” White explained. “The Friends then sent a personal card saying a Christmas donation had been made.”
Adopt-a-Kennel
Another great way to help the shelter this time or any time of year is the Adopt-a-Kennel program. This is a special opportunity for someone to help save more lives through a monthly donation that provides the funds to ensure every dog and cat is spayed or neutered. Stopping the population of kittens and puppies is critical to breaking the cycle of homeless and neglected animals.
Plus, it provides funds to provide the extra veterinary care that many of the animals who show up at the shelter need.
Those who participate in this program have a customized placard placed on one of the kennels with their name, or whoever’s name they choose to have listed. Costs is $50 a month.
“We have one Adopt-a-Kennel sponsor who did this as a birthday gift to her mom and listed her mom’s name and said it was ‘In honor of all the dogs who had called Mom’s place home.’ We arranged to meet the daughter, her sister and her mom at the shelter on her birthday and surprised the mom with the placard already being completed,” White said.
“The mom then had the opportunity to choose which kennel with whatever dog inhabited it currently to place her placard on. A few tears were shed.”
Remembering A Loved One
And, don’t forget birthday, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentines, in memory of someone (two or four legged) who has passed away.
“Recently the Friends received several donations in memory of a woman who had died and who had cared for a feral cat colony in her backyard,” White said. “On the donation form the individuals submitted online the name of the woman’s daughter was provided, so the Friend’s sent a personal card to the woman’s daughter expressing the sentiment those who had donated expressed.”
Who made the donation? White said it was the lady’s neighbors. See, caring spreads.
