More than 1,200 Silicon Valley animals need a home for the holidays. Silicon Valley animal shelters are launching “Shelters First” (www.sheltersfirst.org), an awareness campaign that targets the 67% of Santa Clara county households that love pets – encouraging everyone to find their next pet at a shelter. (That’s over 400,000 families!) Currently, only 25% of pet owners adopt from shelters.
“We need to raise awareness to the point where another 5% of owners adopt from our shelters,” says Albert Escobar, Program Manager at Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control. “That will put thousands more animals in loving homes – and forever eliminate shelter overcrowding.”
As our Holiday Gift to Silicon Valley, the six Shelters First partners are presenting our December Adoption Special: $12 ADOPTION FEES on all adult animals. We’ve got plenty of kittens and puppies, too. Baby animals are available at regular prices.
Right now, all six animal shelters in Silicon Valley are overwhelmed with animals. The Shelters First partners are working together in constant communication to create short-term solutions – but these are just band aids — including:
· transferring animals between shelters
· moving animals into foster care homes
· healing and training animals to become more adoptable
“Dogs and cats should not be in shelters. They should be living in homes,” says Beth Ward, Chief Operating Officer at Humane Society Silicon Valley. “Our shelters are beautiful, but they’re not homes. Our volunteers and staff are warm and wonderful, but they’re not the same as a permanent, loving family.”
You can be part of the solution. Please help us get 1,200 pets adopted and home for the holidays. Animals can be adopted immediately at Humane Society Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County Animal Shelter, City of Palo Alto Animal Services, Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, City of San Jose Animal Care and Services and Town Cats.