It wasn’t the record-setting numbers seen last year, but many of the animals awaiting permanent homes at the Edmonton Humane Society have had their Christmas wishes fulfilled.
Last week, the Edmonton Humane Society announced it would be holding a 50 per cent off sale for adoption fees on certain pets for the remainder of the holiday season.
From Dec. 26 to Dec. 31, adoption fees for adult cats have been cut in half to $65, down from $130. A handful of other adoption incentives are also available as part of the humane society’s ‘companion week.’
On Boxing Day, a total of 70 animals were adopted — a slight decrease from the record-setting 82 animals adopted the same day last year.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 148 animals had found their forever homes — the majority of those being cats.
With just a few more days left in the holiday adoption campaign, humane society spokesperson Shawna Randolph expects the number of animals adopted this year to surpass last year’s total of 151.
“We just want to adopt out as many animals as possible,” said Randolph. “It’s just a wonderful feeling. We are very interested in seeing what it will look like in the shelter at the end of the week.”
Despite steady adoption rates throughout the year, the society has been overflowing with animals, of which two thirds are cats and kittens.
About 90 per cent of the cats the society receives are strays, which Randolph said goes to show some people aren’t doing their part to control the pet population.
This year the society had about 1,000 more animals admitted to the facility than last year.
At the moment, there are still 156 animals up for adoption — a far cry from the original 236 animals, which range from cats, dogs, kittens, puppies, rabbits, birds, rodents and the odd reptile.
But the work is never done. Another 100 animals are waiting to be spayed or neutered before they are put on the adoption floor, while others wait their turn in foster care. A handful of animals also arrive daily, making it a constant battle to find loving homes for unwanted pets.
In addition, the society has had an influx of dogs that have been transferred from other animal care organizations in Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories over the last several weeks.
Anyone interested in adopting a pet should allow themselves approximately three hours for the adoption process.
For more information on the remaining pets available for adoption visit www.edmontonhumanesociety.com.
