HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you've been considering adding a furry friend to your family, this could be the perfect time. To celebrate National Rescue Dog Day, Huntsville Animal Services is waiving adoption fees on most adult pets through the end of May. They have lots of adoptable animals to choose from, some urgently needing foster or forever homes.
“Providing a loving home for a shelter pet not only helps with overpopulation, but it also encourages those around you to adopt,” said Huntsville Animal Services Director Dr. Karen Sheppard. “When you adopt or foster a pet, you save a life. It’s that simple.”
Whether dogs go home through adoption or temporarily through the foster program, Sheppard said clearing the kennels should be a top priority for City residents hoping to help their community.
Each pet is spayed or neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated before leaving the shelter. The shelter says they also come with a City license and free bag of pet food while supplies last. Click here to see photos, ages and descriptions of available animals.
Animal Services is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call 256-883-3782, visit HuntsvilleAL.gov/Animal or visit them on Facebook to learn more.
Can't adopt right now? Check out Huntsville Animal Service's fostering programs:
The most common foster home program is called Foster to Adopt. This program allows you a 14-day trial period with the dog and is for someone interested in adopting an adult dog, but would like to ‘test drive’ the dog at home. Although this is a very successful program, HAS warns owners that all new pets should be given at least 3 months to settle into a new home and new routine. Some pets like puppies, kittens, small dogs and others may not be eligible for this program.
The newest foster home program is called a Sleep-Over. This program allows the fostering party to take home a pet for 1 to 4 nights. Upon returning the pet to the shelter, the fostering party will complete a form sharing all the information collected about the pet during their visit including information such as: did the pet like other pets, housebroken, tolerates cats, likes children, etc. This program helps HAS develop a profile for the shelter pet.
Another foster program called the Foster to Rehome program is for sick pets, aged pets, and underaged puppies and kittens. Additionally, sometimes a fostering party takes care of the dog until it becomes adopted. These volunteers take appealing photos of the pet inside a home and along with a narrative about the pet’s personality are submitted to be posted on the HAS Facebook page.
