Pet adoptions hit record during Empty The Shelters event

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Nearly 2,000 pets have new homes in a record-setting adoption event sponsored by the Bissell Pet Foundation.

The organization says at least 1,900 animals statewide found forever families during Saturday’s Empty The Shelters event, which was also supported by PetSmart Charities and The Offield Family Foundation.  That’s 700 more adoptions than the Bissell Pet Foundation had hoped for.

All adoption fees were waived as part of the one-day event, which was the largest free adoption event in Michigan, with 57 shelters participating, including 19 in West Michigan. Bissell said 133 pets found a home at their headquarters alone.

Empty The Shelters event – Oct. 22, 2016

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New owners hold their adopted dogs during the Empty The Shelters event on Oct. 22, 2016. (Bissell Pet Foundation)

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A new owner holds her adopted cat during the Empty The Shelters event on Oct. 22, 2016. (Bissell Pet Foundation)

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Bissell Pet Foundation founder Cathy Bissell crouches in front of a dog available for adoption during the Empty The Shelters event on Oct. 22, 2016. (Bissell Pet Foundation)

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A dog peers out of a kennel during the Empty The Shelters event on Oct. 22, 2016. (Bissell Pet Foundation)

In a Monday news release, Bissell Pet Foundation founder Cathy Bissell called it a “landmark day in the animal welfare world,” with countless lives saved.

New owners who participated in Empty The Shelters day only paid pet licensing fees. As part of the program, they also received a free pet kit with their new companion.

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