Nothing says “home for the holidays” like giving a homeless animal a forever family. The Humane Society of Indianapolis’s “Home for the Pawlidayz” holiday event made this happen for over one hundred animals Thanksgiving weekend.
The Zappos-sponsored event, which waived all adoption fees, started as a Black Friday special but was extended through Cyber Monday. Babble spoke with Kristin Conrad, the Manager of Marketing and Communications for the Humane Society of Indianapolis, about what this event meant to her.
She noted:
“With the tie in to Black Friday deals and the holiday weekend, this event gave more people the opportunity to become pet owners, do the responsible thing and adopt, and also help a cause they care about and want to support.”
It certainly did! A big crowd turned out, giving 137 cats and dogs new homes and families to call their own. Conrad continued:
“It was a very emotional moment for all our staff. Knowing that so many homeless animals are now warm, happy, safe, and in comfortable, loving homes is really the best gift our staff could receive for the holidays!”
Not only did all of these animals receive homes, but the Indianapolis Humane Society is now able to help even more animals. They are currently “in the process of pulling animals from local shelters” that are often filled to maximum capacity. This event is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
The most special moment of the day for Conrad? The moment she discovered all the animals were in the process of being adopted, saying, “Needing to close the shelter due to all the animals being adopted is a GREAT problem to have!”
While big events like this have a risk of return rate, Conrad explained:
“There is research from the ASPCA that shows return rates from events such as this are the same as regular fee adoptions. A zero fee adoption is really not a bad thing for our animal residents, as long as thorough counseling and screening take place. For events like this, we still utilize our normal, very thorough screening process, and no adoption is a guarantee.”
In fact, the organization had to turn away some patrons at the event simply because they weren’t a good match for the animal. So, not only did these animals get adopted, but they were adopted by the best possible family for them.
The event was so emotionally rewarding for the staff that they hope to find a sponsor to continue this tradition next year. We hope so, too! After all, there’s nothing better than welcoming another member into the family for the holidays.