Photo Curtesy: Will Raburn
By: Paige Edmund
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — With October around the corner, pet adoption rates are slowing down, but adoptable pets are not. Working to counteract overcrowding in shelters, Fayetteville Animal Services will be waiving adoption fees starting Tuesday, Oct. 1, and going through Tuesday, Oct. 15.
This fall adoption event will waive the traditional fee of $60 for a dog five years or younger, $30 for a dog five to ten years, or $20 for cats of all ages. Animals over the age of 10 do not have adoption fees. By removing the cost, they lift a monetary barrier some potential pet parents might have.
Animal Services also says that all dogs and cats will have been spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated when adopted. Spaying and neutering help to control the pet population by reducing the number of stray animals which in turn lowers the amount of animals left in shelters.
With the fee waived, adopters only need to fill out the form on their website to get approved before they can take home their new friend. Applicants must be over the age of 21 to qualify for pet adoption.
Animal services say that application approval can take from 30 minutes to 24 hours based on staff availability and when approved, the applicant has 24 hours to pick up their new pet.
They also stress that they do not allow meet and greets with shelter animals before applications are approved.
Emily Ashworth, a vet technician with Fayetteville Animal Services, spoke about other measures taken to prevent overcrowding.
“We take a lot of care when bringing pets into our shelter and ensuring they go to good proper homes,” said Ashworth.
Ashworth said they do not work with other local shelters, but they work with rescue teams and animal control offices when they are unable to take in pets.
Pet surrenders are another story, however. When a pet owner needs to surrender their dog or cat, Animal Services may be unable to take them in due to overcrowding and lack of resources. In this case, they offer access to their rehoming platforms to make the process of finding that pet a home easier.
National Adopt a Dog Month has been celebrated in October since 1981, and Fayetteville Animal Services is doing its part to increase awareness and find four-legged forever homes.