Dakin Humane Society to Hold Drop-in Adoption Day with Reduced Fees on July 1
SPRINGFIELD — Dakin Humane Society will reduce adoption fees for all animals by 50% on Saturday, July 1 from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at its Springfield location at 171 Union St. Dakin typically shelters cats, dogs, and a variety of other small animals, including (based on availability) birds, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats. Dakin anticipates a large turnout, so adopters should plan on spending at least one to two hours at the event.
The shelter is holding the adoption event in response to increasing animal-population numbers for this season. “Summer is always the busiest time at Dakin,” said Meg Talbert, executive director of Dakin. “We always see an uptick in our numbers during the warm-weather months, but this year we saw a sharp increase way earlier than we normally would. In April and May, we were welcoming as many pets as we would expect to see in July or August.
“We wanted to hold this event to spur adoptions and get as many animals as possible into loving homes to make room for the next pets who will be coming forward and will need our help,” she continued. “When you adopt from a shelter, you are saving two lives: the pet you bring home with you, and the next one waiting in line. Summer is an ideal time for many people to adopt, especially those with children who can spend their school vacation bonding with a new best friend.”
People interested in adopting a specific pet currently listed on Dakin’s website (www.dakinhumane.org/adopt-a-pet) are advised to adopt that pet prior to Saturday, as there are no holds or guarantees of an animal’s availability once the event begins. Likewise, we recommend that potential adopters visit Dakin’s website just prior to attending and select a few pets of interest, with the understanding that their top choices may not be available.
Adoption fees at Dakin include a variety of services and treatments, including a veterinary exam, spay/neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchip and registration, deworming treatment, a rabies vaccine (if pet is over 12 weeks of age), a behavior evaluation, access to behavior support, a free post-adoption veterinary exam at participating clinics, and a food starter pack. Other features include a feline leukemia test, FIV test, flea and ear-mite treatment (for cats), and a heartworm test, flea and tick treatment, and heartworm prevention (for dogs). According to Talbert, the average pre-adoption cost of care for each adoptable animal that comes to Dakin averages $705.