OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Are you thinking about adding a furry friend to your family?
If you're still on the fence, there are some adoption specials coming up over the next few weeks that may help you decide.
Saturday is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day.
Harbor Humane Society in Ottawa County is having a special that might be the motivation you need to bring home your next best friend.
The shelter has more than 40 dogs and about 70 cats ready to be adopted into loving homes right now.
"Price is Right" fans are in for a treat: If you go into the shelter Saturday, you can play a game of Plinko to get a percentage off your adoption fee.
Shelter staff say the need is great with adoptions stagnant right now. They say adoption saves lives, allowing shelters in Michigan to help overpopulated shelters down south.
"It's really creating this kind of bottleneck where we used to really flow transfers up into Michigan from our southern partner shelters. And we're not able to do that," said Jen Self-Aulgur, Executive Director of Harbor Humane Society. "And unfortunately, when we're not able to do that some of those dogs end up getting euthanized. So it kind of puts a halt to the whole flow that's happening. And adoption is the key part of that, to keep that happening and to save more lives."
They say when bringing home a new pet from the shelter, patience is key.
Remember the rule of three: It takes an animal three days to start to feel okay in their new environment, three weeks to feel comfortable and about three months or longer to gain a sense of security with their new family.
More good news: BISSELL Pet Foundation's big national adoption event, Empty the Shelters, begins Monday, May 2.
BISSELL has added another week to the special, with shelters and rescues across the country and right here at home offering reduced or free pet adoption fees through May 15.
To learn more, click here.
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