As the weather grows colder this winter, the Washington Humane Society (WHS) is calling on our community to open their hearts and homes to the many deserving animals who are seeking adoption. From January 1 through February 29, we are celebrating Flurry of Furries to promote the adoption of shelter pets during the cold winter season. The advantages are myriad:
- Shelters are temporary homes to hundreds of healthy, family-friendly animals. Most pets end up homeless through no fault of their own —"moving" and "landlord issues" are among the top reasons people offer for relinquishing their pets. WHS has a variety of animals of different breeds, sizes and exercise preferences to fit the needs of individual families.
- Shelter pets are a bargain—often even more than pets who are “free”; once you add the cost of everything WHS provides to pet families, the savings adds up. All WHS pets go home spayed/neutered; are current on vaccines, de-wormer, flea/tick treatment, heartworm preventative for dogs; and microchipped—a value of several hundred dollars.
- WHS conducts thorough behavioral assessments of each pet to help match them with the best suited adopter. Plus, WHS behavior and training experts can provide advice on how to make solid, lifelong human-animal relationships.
- Every adoption saves a life. When you adopt from a shelter, you give a pet a second chance at happiness, without adding to the significant homeless pet population in the DC area.
In addition to these benefits, all WHS cat and dog adopters receive a free starter bag of Hill’s Science Diet Food; a goodie bag from Home Buddies DC; a free post-adoption exam at a participating veterinarian; and 30 free days of health insurance from Shelter Care. For those who already own a pet, many animals enjoy the companionship, exercise, social interaction and mental stimulation another pet can provide. Now is the perfect time to grow your four-legged family.
The community plays a crucial role in helping to support animals; when we come together, we can help to end pet homelessness in DC. We hope our neighbors will show how much dc loves dc animals by adopting, encouraging others to adopt, fostering or joining a WHS volunteer team this year. To learn more, visit www.washhumane.org.
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