Minneapolis waives pet adoption fees in hopes of clearing out shelters for the holidays
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 22: A Beagle attends the American Kennel Club Presents The Nation's Most Popular Breeds Of 2015 at AKC Headquarters on February 22, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The city of Minneapolis is hoping to clear out shelters for the holiday season by waiving fees for pet adoptions on Friday.
The Minneapolis Animal Care and Control is hosting an adoption event on Friday from noon- 5 p.m. All dogs and cats available for adoption will be given to good homes on a first come, first serve basis.
The city said all animals from the shelter come vaccinated, microchipped, and either spayed or neutered. The only cost to the new owner during the event is the pet licensing fee.
People wanting to adopt an animal must apply and be screened before the shelter decides whether to approve the application. You must be at least 18 years old and bring a government-issued ID with your current address to be eligible for adoption, according to the shelter.
Animal Care and Control says it follows guidelines to help remove barriers for people owning pets and to increase animal placement.
"This process decreases the amount of time animals spend in the shelter and offers adopted animals better chances at finding loving, forever homes," the organization's website said.
The shelter will also host a food drive during the event and accept human and animal food for those in need. The pet food will benefit the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center and People and Pets Together.
Human food donations will benefit Minneapolis food shelves.
If you’re not ready for a long-term commitment of owning a pet but still want to help animals in need, you can become a foster parent by providing animals with shorter-term housing and care until they find their fur-ever home. To learn more about the program, click here.
For more information on how to adopt a pet during today’s Minneapolis Animal Care and Control event, visit their website here.