Country's largest pet adoption event issues urgent call to action as shelters hit tipping point

Phoenix, Arizona: Bissell Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization working to end pet homelessness, has sent out a national call for adoption this fall with its Empty the Shelters reduced-fee adoption event from October 1-15.  

Maricopa County Animal Care & Control (MCACC) will participate along with more than 390 shelters in 44 states. To help shelter pets find homes, Bissell Pet Foundation sponsors reduced fees of $50 or less per cat or dog during each nationwide event. MCACC will be waiving adoption fees for dogs 6 months and older during this Empty the Shelters event.

“Right now, our nation’s animal shelters are in crisis with too many pets coming in and not enough adoptions to keep up. Euthanasia rates have hit a 3-year-high, and healthy, adoptable pets are at risk due to space constraints,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of Bissell Pet Foundation. "Bissell Pet Foundation's Fall National Empty the Shelters offers a chance for the community to save lives through adoption while creating space for shelters to help more pets. If you can't adopt, fostering can also make a lifesaving difference. Deserving pets across the country are counting on all of us.”

“We are thrilled to have another waived-fee adoption event to encourage more adoptions this fall,” said Kim Powell, Communications Supervisor for MCACC. “The summer brought on many capacity challenges, but we are hopeful this Empty the Shelters will get us back to a more manageable capacity. Every adoption helps us. We hope the people of Maricopa County will come visit our shelters and find the dog of their dreams!”

Bissell Pet Foundation’s Empty the Shelters event is the largest funded adoption event in the country. This lifesaving event began in 2016 with a goal of encouraging more families to choose adoption. Nearly 283,000 pets have found loving homes since its inception. Empty the Shelters is Bissell Pet Foundation’s largest program, partnering with 742 animal welfare organizations in 49 states and Canada to reduce adoption fees.

Here's what you need to now about the initiative

What: Waived adoption fees for dogs 6 months and older at MCACC

When: October 1 – 15, 2024

Where: Maricopa County Animal Care & Control/ West Shelter: 2500 S. 27th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85009; East Shelter: 1920 S Lewis, Mesa, AZ 85210; Heidi's Village: 600 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85008