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Saving more dogs and cats with Black Friday adoption specials

It’s a no-brainer for animal shelters to offer some sort of adoption special on Black Friday.

I love when shelters offer adoption specials any time of the year! It’s a great way to promote different animals and to get more people thinking about adopting.

People aren’t necessarily planning on heading to a shelter for their next pet. But if they see or hear about an adoption special, they may be more likely to consider adoption.

This obviously helps more animals leave the shelter alive, which should always be the goal.

The Pasadena (Calif.) Humane Society & SPCA is just one of the many shelters offering an adoption special this Friday (Nov. 28).

Blossom the black cat for adoption

I’m not featuring this shelter because I expect my readers to head there to adopt (although that would be great!).

I’m writing about the adoption specials to show how important it is for shelters in general to get creative if they want to save more lives and attract additional people to the shelter.

“We count on our adoption specials to bring awareness to our adoption program and to the wonderful animals we have available,” said Ricky Whitman, vice president of community outreach with the organization.

“There are certain times of the year when people are more likely to adopt a pet, and we like to give our available animals the best chance possible to find a good home.”

[quote_center]”We like to give our available animals the best chance possible to find a good home.”[/quote_center]

In this case, the shelter is offering a “Black Friday” special where any dog or cat with any black markings will be available for $15 off the usual adoption price, according to its web site.

It’s a great way to draw attention to some of the animals.

For example, Blossom (pictured above) is a sweet kitten who is very curious and loves playing with toys, according to the shelter. She is six months old, and her adoption fee will be reduced to just $20 on Black Friday.

Here are two other examples of nice black pets up for adoption with PHS.

Cleo, 1-year-old cat

Cleo the black cat for adoption

Cleo is a 1-year-old female cat who the shelter describes as very calm and relaxed. She doesn’t demand attention but always enjoys affection. Her adoption fee will be $55 on Black Friday.

Panda, 2 years old

Panda  the pitbull for adoption

Panda is affectionate and playful and loves going for walks, according to the shelter. He is a 2-year-old pitbull who enjoys attention and is very sweet. His adoption fee will be reduced to $110 on Black Friday.

The adoption fees includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, a microchip and two weeks of pet insurance to cover any health issues, Whitman said.

More about the Pasadena Humane Society

The Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA is an open-admission shelter, welcoming any animal regardless of species, breed, age or health condition, according to Whitman. The organization’s live release rate for 2013 was 84.9 percent for dogs and 47.4 percent for cats.

While it is not a no-kill shelter, I’m glad to see it is offering adoption specials to try to get more animals adopted. For example, for the entire month of November, all “senior” dogs and cats ages 5 and up are available for adoption at no cost, according to its web site.

Also, on the 13th of every month, it offers a “Lucky 13 Black Cat Special,” according to Whitman. All cats with black markings on those days are available for just $13.

How about the rest of you? Have you heard of any great adoption specials?

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Jen Gabbard

Friday 28th of November 2014

Such an amazing idea; I hope there's a huge turnout for all these deserving little guys. The local shelter here is having a big adoption event tomorrow - 90% of dogs and kittens over 6 months and cats are free. I'm hoping so badly that we have a great turnout; there's been a real slow down in adoptions lately.

Rachel @ My Two Pitties

Wednesday 26th of November 2014

Ugh..I'm sold. I'll take Cleo & Panda. Look at them! Someone will be lucky to scoop them up:)

Lindsay Stordahl

Wednesday 26th of November 2014

I think so too!

Emma

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

Haven't heard of any, but it is a great idea. Maybe here in MN they could advertise how easy it is to find your black pet in the winter in the snow. Mom says she always loved that about her black dog.

Lindsay Stordahl

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

Ha! That would be a cute idea.

Jessicavy

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

What a great idea!

Lindsay Stordahl

Tuesday 25th of November 2014

The rescue I volunteer with said the holidays are their busiest time as far as adoptions. This would be a great way to draw even more attention.