‘Clear the Shelters’ event finds C.O. homes for many pets
All week, NewsChannel 21 has been introducing you to cute, adoptable animals, leading up to Saturday’s big Clear the Shelters adoption event! And on Saturday, sad “tails” became happy endings. as hundreds of pet lovers and dozens homeless animals found each other.
The Humane Society of Central Oregon in Bend, the Humane Society of the Ochocos in Prineville and BrightSide Animal Center in Redmond all joined in the effort to help animals in need find their forever homes.
Dani Wyborg actually went to PetSmart in northeast Bend to buy cat litter for the pet she already had at home. Instead, she left with a new furry friend.
“I’m pretty excited,” Wyborg said. “I’m ready for a new cat!”
PetSmart hosted the Humane Society of the Ochocos adoption event. Robin Cruz with the Humane Society of the Ochocos said 14 kittens, two adult cat, and four dogs went home with their new families Saturday.
The adoption event for Cascade Rescue East and West took place at Mud Bay off Robal Road, jon the north end of Bend.
“We host adoption events periodically with different nonprofits,” said Nichole Ferulo, a Mud Bay spokesperson. “(Today) we have kittens here as well, which is really unusual. (Cascade Rescue East and West) work really hard doing what they’re doing to save these animals.”
The Humane Society of Central Oregon offered free and reduced adoption fees, and the Ochocos and BrightSide had reduced rates on all adoptions.
By the end of the day, the Humane Society of Central Oregon cleared out all of its dog kennels! Lynne Ouchida with the Humane Society of Central Oregon said 15 cats, five dogs and one guinea pig were adopted Saturday. Since the beginning of the week, as KTVZ ran its pet profiles, a total of 81 HSCO animals were matched with their new homes.
A total of 20 animals were adopted Saturday from Humane Society of the Ochocos — 14 kittens, two adult cats and four dogs, while Cascade Canine Rescue East and West (CCREW) had 19 dogs and five cats adopted.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 6.5 million animals are admitted into animal shelters nationwide every year. Each year, an estimated 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized.
The Clear the Shelters campaign began in Texas in 2014 as a partnership among the NBC and Telemundo stations in Dallas-Fort Worth and dozens of North Texas animal shelters.
To learn more about KTVZ’s part in the national Clear the Shelters effort, visit our page: http://www.ktvz.com/clear-the-shelters. You can learn more about the national effort here: http://www.cleartheshelters.com/.
