By Erika Urivez
Bissell Pet Foundation prepares for their second nationwide Empty the Shelters event on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with over 100 animal shelters participating.
Across the country, 14 states will be involved and in Michigan, over 60 shelters will be taking part in the free pet adoption event. Bissell will be paying the required adoption fees and those who adopt from Bissell’s headquarters, located at 2320 Walker Ave. NW, are guaranteed an AdoptBox. The box will include food, treats, toys, a collar and a leash.
Each shelter may have their own pre-approval process and requirements prior to the adoption day. They are put in place to guarantee a forever home for the animal since they don’t want pets to be returned. The full list of requirements varies from shelter to shelter, but they can be found at the specific shelter’s website. The list of all shelters taking part in the event can be found on Bissell’s website.
The non-profit organization will be teaming with five rescue organizations including Al-Van Humane Society, Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven, Unleashed Love Pet Rescue, Wishbone Pet Rescue Alliance and Cannonsville Critters to make the event possible.
The Communications Coordinator of the foundation, Bri Olson, explained that Bissell has four different pillars they focus on to achieve their mission of helping animal shelters. It includes adoption, spray and neuter, microchipping and foster care. One of their main missions is to find every homeless pet a home.
“The biggest area we focus on is adoption,” Olson said. “We want people to know that there are fantastic pets in shelters and you don’t need to purchase from breeders, especially since some are done inhumanely.”
Since starting the Empty the Shelters event in 2016, the foundation has helped in saving over 13,000 pet lives through adoption. At the last event alone this year in May, 3,135 pets were adopted in less than 24 hours.
