City of Houston BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions is one of 200 Animal Shelters Participating in the National Empty the Shelters adoption event May 5-9
Houston, TX May 3, 2021 — After successfully finding forever homes for 18,359 pets in 2020 alone, BISSELL Pet Foundation is again aiming to Empty the Shelters by sponsoring reduced adoption fees of $25 or less at 200 participating shelters, including the City of Houston BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions, and rescues in 36 states May 5-9. Interested adopters are encouraged to visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/ets for their local shelter’s participation guidelines and COVID hours. BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions currently requires appointments for potential adopters to come visit all the adoptable pets. Adoption appointments can be scheduled at http://www.houstontx.gov/barc/adopt_a_pet.html.
BISSELL Pet Foundation’s mission to find every pet a loving home is the driving force behind Empty the Shelters. In 2016, BPF created this reduced-fee adoption event to make an immediate impact on the nation’s ongoing pet homelessness problem. Since then, this program has encouraged prospective pet owners to consider adoption as their first option when bringing a pet into their family, as there are so many deserving animals waiting to be loved. 49,360 pets have found homes from this program’s efforts.
Empty the Shelters is by far BPF’s biggest program and cannot continue going and growing without donor support. BPF makes adoption affordable and reimburses shelters for every pet adopted during the event to help cover spay/neuter, microchipping, vaccination, and other costs of care. Since 2016, BPF has expanded its ETS reach from 24 shelters in 1 state to 365 shelters in 43 states + Canada. The foundation is seeking donations to continue to expand ETS to more areas, and 100% of contributions will go directly to fund pet adoptions: www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters-donations/.
“The national Empty the Shelters event in May will be our largest yet, and as a small foundation, we are incredibly proud to see the growth of this program as we continue to expand its impact,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “Empty the Shelters not only helps our shelter partners free up space in their facilities, but it places pets in permanent homes. It’s a win-win for everyone involved…our partners, ETS adopters, and most importantly, the pets.”
“We are excited to work with Bissell Pet Foundation this year to get as many pets as possible adopted and into forever homes,” said Greg Damianoff, Director of BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions.
BPF will also honor foster-to-adopt cases that start as fosters during May 5-9 and are finalized up to one week after the event. If you are interested in fostering a pet from BARC Animal Shelter & Adoptions, please visit the BARC Foster webpage at http://www.houstontx.gov/barc/foster_a_pet.html or email [email protected].
BPF urges families to do their research prior to May 5, as many participating organizations are still operating under restricted protocols and procedures. For more information on adopting or donating to Empty the Shelters, visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/ets.
About BISSELL Pet Foundation:
BISSELL Pet Foundation is a charitable 501©(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to help reduce the number of animals in shelters through pet adoption, spay/neuter programs, microchipping and emergency support. Founded in 2011 by Cathy Bissell, BPF is an extension of her long-standing love for animals and commitment to their welfare. BPF has since partnered with over 5,200 shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada to help pets find loving homes. The foundation is supported by generous donors and BISSELL Homecare, Inc where every purchase saves pets. To learn more, visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org.
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