This week instead of featuring a “Pet of the Week”, we want to share in some extraordinary news. Over the last half of 2011, most animal shelters in the South Bay, including Palo Alto Animal Services, were inundated with adoptable dogs and cats while the adoption rates remained slow. Something needed to be done to help these stray and abandoned animals find new and loving homes.

During the last three weeks of December, six Santa Clara County animal shelters joined forces with one goal in mind: find homes for at least 1,000 animals currently in our shelters. We called it “Home for the Holidays.”

The numbers for the holiday adoption promotion just came in and in just three weeks, a total of 1,128 animals were adopted!  On behalf of Palo Alto Animal Services, San Jose Animal Services, The Humane Society of Silicon Valley, Town Cats Rescue, and The Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, we would like to send a huge THANK YOU to the community who came out in force to give these animals new homes! 

Each animal that is placed up for adoption has been health and temperament tested, spayed or neutered, microchipped, and fully vaccinated. But the lower rate, combined with the good timing of having families off work and home for the holidays, seemed to be just what those 1,128 animals needed to start a new life.  Palo Alto Animal Services experienced an over 500% increase in their adoption rate from the same time last year!

It is our hope, of course, to never need a promotion like this again but that is unlikely.

So, thank you all very much for your continued support and please visit your local shelters often.

Happy New Year!