By Conrad Dudderar
Senior Staff Writer
As Pets & People prepares to move to a new home, the Yukon-based humane society adopted 28 pets during a recent three-day adoption special.
Pets & People on the weekend of July 10-12 participated in its second “Empty to Shelters” event of 2020 at the old Yukon animal shelter, 701 Inla.
The pets that found new homes during the three-day, $25 adoption special.
“We are super excited that we adopted a deaf dog, two special needs cats and three of our long-term dogs that have been in shelter for over a year,” Pets & People executive director Amy Young said.
The $25 adoption fee was made possible by Bissell Pet Foundation, which sponsors “Empty the Shelters” promotions with animal shelters and rescue organizations across the country.
Pets & People had 43 adoptions – 38 dogs and five cats – at its first “Empty the Shelters” event May 9-17. That adoption tally included several “long-term” animals that had been with Pets & People more than six months.
More people showed interest in adopting animals during Yukon’s second “Empty the Shelters” promotion, looking forward to the reduced $25 fee.
“It was very successful, and we’ve had a lot of positives from this event,” Young said. “Twenty-eight adoptions in three days – that was super-fantastic.
“The adoptions are all going really well so far, and we hope to have another (Empty the Shelters) event this fall.”
Normal adoption fees are $135 for dogs and $85 for cats.
All animals were microchipped and spayed/neutered to prevent further pet homelessness. They also were vaccinated and heartworm tested.
Bissell Pet Foundation’s three-day national event was its largest ever, with 3,284 adoptions (1,946 cats and 1,338 dogs) at 159 shelters across 33 states.
ON THE MOVE
Yukon’s non-profit humane society since the early 1990s, Pets & People must move to a new place by the end of 2020.
The organization has shared space with the City of Yukon for more than 20 years but was recently notified the old Yukon animal shelter will be demolished.
The City of Yukon in January opened its new animal control facility just east of the old shelter.
Pets & People staff and volunteers are preparing to move to a new site the organization’s board members scout out available property.
“We’re in the process of transitioning to a new adoption center at a different location in the Yukon area,” Young said.
The organization had planned to build a 4,200 square foot adoption center this year on a three-acre property it owns west of the shelter. A $500,000 capital campaign was supposed to launch this spring, but a certain pandemic halted that.
The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting reduction in philanthropic giving have hampered fund-raising efforts, Young noted, thus forcing Pets & People to find an existing building to lease.
Meanwhile, Yukon’s humane society continues to seek new “forever” homes for remaining animals in its care.
The organization now offers all “curbside adoptions” as prospective owners are pre-screened to ensure their homes will be a “good fit” for the animals.
The return rate has been reduced significantly since the pets that are adopted have already been “thoroughly screened and vetted”, according to Young.
Pets & People has saved about 58,000 animals since its inception three decades ago.
View pets for adoption at www.petsandpeople.com or Pets & People’s Facebook page.
