10th annual ‘Empty the Shelters’ event helps Metro Detroiters adopt for free
'Empty the Shelters' event at Detroit Animal Care and Control
A big push to "Empty the Shelters" is starting this weekend and the Detroit Animal Care and Control, or DACC, has many new friends who are eager to be adopted. If you’re in Detroit and wondering how much that doggie in the window is, well this weekend, they are free. Zuzu, Styletta, and Blazing Star are three of the 100-plus dogs who call DACC home, but they want to come home with you.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - Pet adoptions are down nationwide, and when the economy teeters, it only gets worse.
Big picture view:
A big push to "Empty the Shelters" is starting this weekend and the Detroit Animal Care and Control, or DACC, has many new friends who are eager to be adopted.
If you’re in Detroit and wondering how much that doggie in the window is, well this weekend, they are free. Zuzu, Styletta, and Blazing Star are three of the 100-plus dogs who call DACC home, but they want to come home with you.
"You get to go home with your dog the same day. They’re going to come with a collar, a leash and a harness, and a bag of goodies to get you started," said Dana Eldred.
The 10th annual ‘Empty the Shelters’ event starts Saturday, May 2, and runs through May 17, with adoption fees handled by the Bissell Pet Foundation.
Dig deeper:
It comes at a perfect time, when the prices of everything seem to be up.
"Adoptions have been down nationwide for all dogs, so we are really hopeful this event is going to get the word back out and show that shelter dogs make great pets," said Eldred.
In March, a check of the numbers at DACC shows they took in 566 dogs, many strays or lost pets. Of those, 215 were either adopted out or transferred to other rescues, while 213 were euthanized.
"When you adopt a dog from a shelter, you really are saving two lives—the life of the dog you take home and the next dog that takes its place in that kennel," said Eldred.
What you can do:
If adopting a dog isn’t right for you right now, they have foster programs. You can even take a dog home for the day or for a sleepover.
DACC is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.