NA-FC Shelter pushing to find pets homes for the holidays

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December 9, 2012

NA-FC Shelter pushing to find pets homes for the holidays

By DANIEL SUDDEATH daniel.suddeath@newsandtribune.com The News and Tribune Sun Dec 09, 2012, 06:41 PM EST

NEW ALBANY — In an attempt to find a home for as many furry friends as possible this holiday season, the New Albany-Floyd County Animal Shelter is launching multiple adoption campaigns and events.

A new effort this year is the Whisker Wonderland 36 Hour Adoptathon. The shelter will be open from noon on Friday until midnight Sunday morning in hopes of drawing people in to adopt cats and dogs.

The event will include holiday music, free refreshments and door prizes, as well as special gifts with each adoption. Santa Claus will be stopping by the shelter — located at 215 W. Market St. in New Albany — from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday for photo opportunities.

“There will be somebody here all the way until midnight [Sunday morning], and you can come in until that time and adopt an animal,” said NA-FC Shelter Director David Hall.

The shelter’s popular Twelve Strays of Christmas campaign will be in full swing by the weekend as well. People from the community each year sponsor the adoption fees of 12 dogs and cats, which allows some of the harder to place animals in the shelter to be adopted for free.

“The object is these animals are the animals that have been here the longest, and they need to find a home for the holidays,” Hall said.

The News and Tribune will run photographs of the animals that are up for adoption, and they will also be displayed on the shelter’s website at www.nafcanimalshelter.org.

Jingle Bell Boarding is another effort the shelter has planned for the holiday season. The campaign includes a call for foster homes for animals over Christmas.

The shelter is looking for people to take home an animal on Christmas Eve and return them Dec. 26.

“This is perfect for somebody who can’t have an animal all the time, or is thinking about adopting one,” Hall said.

It’s a good break for the animals, as it allows them to get out of the shelter for a few days and potentially be adopted, Hall said. He added it also allows shelter workers to be able to finish their duties and get home to be with their families in a quicker fashion with fewer animals in the building.

The shelter is also boarding animals adopted the week before Christmas until Dec. 24 free of charge.

For more information on the Twelve Strays of Christmas, the Whisker Wonderland 36 Hour Adoptathon or the Twelve Strays of Christmas, call the shelter at 812-948-5355.