Cape Cod MSPCA Waiving Adoption Fees For 'Hard To Place' Pets

CENTERVILLE, MA — The MSPCA will drop adoption fees for its most challenging-to-place animals this Saturday, Aug. 17. The waiving of adoption fees is made possible by generous donors such as the Catvocates, a group of donors who subsidize adoption and spay-neuter initiatives at the MSPCA, the organizaation said.

The MSPCA’s three animal care and adoption centers in Boston, Methuen and Centerville will each waive adoption fees for pets described by staff as "harder to place," such as shy cats, senior dogs and long-term horse residents.

Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs for the MSPCA-Angell, said the organization is eager to capitalize on the spotlight that the national "Clear the Shelter" campaign shines on pet adoption.

"Many of our animals need very specific families and home lives to be successful and, as effective as our traditional pet marketing has become, it’s sometimes very hard to find the perfect match," he said. "'Clear the Shelters' gives our harder-to-place animals the boost they need at the time of year when shelters are already full of animals looking for homes."

"Aug. 17th will also be a fantastic day to adopt a small animal—such as rabbits, guinea pigs, parakeets, hamsters and mice—as we’re waiving the fees for all of those pets as well," Keiley added.

In addition to the small animals whose fees are waived on Aug. 17, the pets who meet the fee-waived criteria are chosen by staff and generally have medical or behavioral concerns or are of advanced age, factors that cause them to linger in the adoption center long after others have gone home.

In the last five years the MSPCA has staged more than a dozen fee-waived animal adoptathons, most focused on small animals like cats and rabbits. Nearly 3,000 animals found homes during those campaigns and, as NBC Universal’s “Clear the Shelters” promotion draws near, the adoption center teams intend to extend this momentum over the entire menagerie of animal companions still awaiting homes.

"The bottom line is that we have many wonderful animals available for adoption that have, until now, been overlooked," said Keiley. "This is an opportunity to capitalize on the national excitement that 'Clear the Shelters' generates to ensure all of the pets in our care can be placed into wonderful homes."

Click here for more information about fee-waived adoptions at the MSPCA-Angell. Photos and bios of all animals whose fees are waived on Aug. 17th can also be viewed on mspca.org and will be labeled "Hero Needed."

Submitted by the MSPCA