Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter Teams Up With H&S Feed and Country Store to Host Adoptathon®
This young kitty might not yet be ready to be adopted, but many other animals at Stephen Memorial will be ready for a new home on Saturday
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Stephen Memorial Animal Shelter (SMAS) will participate in North Shore Animal League America’s International Pet Adoptathon®, the premiere global pet adoption event. The SMAS is one of thousands of shelters in dozens of countries that are participating in this year’s month-long Pet Adoptathon® 2012 to find homes for each and every pet in its care.
Beginning on Saturday May 5th, the SMAS, in collaboration with H&S Feed and Country Store, will host a special Pet Adoptathon® Kick-off event. In addition to having adoptable shelter dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens on site, the event will also offer information on the benefits of adopting shelter pets, behavioral education, and special services available to pet owners. “Our goal is to adopt out as many animals as possible during the event to make room for the rush of animals that we normally see during the summer months” says Lindsey Sime, Executive Director. “We will have adoption applications on hand for adopters to fill out so we can process them on-site and send pets to their new homes that same day.” Adopters will still be required to fill out an adoption application and have it approved in order adopt. Specific adoption requirements can be found on the shelter’s website or by calling the shelter directly. Photos and biographies about adoptable pets can be viewed prior to the event by visiting http://smas.mahaska.net.
Sime, said they will have 25 cats at the event, and just about every dog, currently at the shelter, there as well. Their hope is to be able to find a home for as many of those animals, as possible, in the same day. Many volunteers for SMAS will be on hand to help and make the day run as smoothly as possible.
Many of the local vets are also putting together “goody bags” to help make more of an incentive to adopt on Saturday.
A local vet clinic will also be on hand. The new Oskaloosa Small Animal Veterinary Clinic will also be providing coupons for free puppy and kitten checkups, “if you adopt a puppy or kitten,” Sime said. But for those that would adopt an older dog, they will provide a discount on a dental procedure, as older dogs many times need a teeth cleaning.
In order to allow the adoption process to go as smoothly as possible, the SMAS suggests that potential adopters bring in proof of current rabies vaccination for any current pets they own. If looking to adopt a dog, families who currently own dogs are required to do a meet-and-greet between the resident dog and the dog they are interested in adopting.
For those that aren’t ready to adopt an animal, resources will be available for current pet owners and those who are considering becoming pet owners in the future. These include a veterinarian on-site that will be available to give pointers on pet health and low-cost micro-chipping for the public for $20.00.
The Adoptathon® event will be held Saturday, May 5th at H&S Feed and Country Store from 10am-2pm. For more information about this event or for information about volunteering at this event, you may contact the shelter by phone: (641) 673-3991, email: smasadoptions@mahaska.org, or by visiting their website: http://smas.mahaska.net.
