‘It’s the best feeling’: Furry friends find forever families through Clear the Shelter’ pet adoption events

(Update: Adding video, comments from HSCO, shelter visitors, Street Dog Heroes)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- With this month's Clear the Shelters campaign by NewsChannel 21 and NBC, animal shelters on the High Desert are finding forever homes for their furry animals.

Getting a pet means adding a member to the family and to your home. At the Humane Society of Central Oregon and Street Dog Heroes they do their best to help clear their shelters.

On Saturday, the Humane Society of Central Oregon took part in the nationwide effort to clear the shelters.

At the shelter, they have cats, dogs, guinea pigs and ferrets. 

"The Humane Society is a wonderful place for an animal to stay, but we look at it as a temporary place," Director of Community Partnerships Lynne Ouchida said. "We want them to be in a permanent, loving home."

And for these young Bend residents, they are trying to convince their parents to get another pet.

I asked Kellen and Sloan Olson, "How many times have you guys been here?"

Kellen said. "Oh, so at least, like 15 times this summer. "

I responded, 'Wow, that's a lot. And no cat has spoken to you guys quite yet?'

Kellen said, "Oh, a ton of cats have spoken to us, but they just said just like, 'Oh, not yet.'"

His sister Sloan said, "But, our parents are like, 'It's almost school year.'" 

If you adopted at the Humane Society on Saturday you received from half off to a fully waived adoption fee. Adopters got to spin the 'Wheel of Fortunate’ for a percentage off their regular adoption fee, ranging from 50% to a 100%.

And at Street Dog Heroes this month, they have had 58 dogs adopted, for a total of 361 so far this year. Currently, they have 59 dogs in their care.

Street Dog Heroes Executive Director Kristen Elrod said they rely heavily on their adoption events, since they don't have a shelter space.

"We put so much into providing them with their basic care here and matching them with the foster home and learning from those foster families about the dog and what would be the best fit for them," she said. "So then seeing all of that come together and the dog going to a forever home, it's the best feeling."

  The Humane Society of Central Oregon had six cats adopted, which leaves six dogs and four cats that are currently adoptable.