36 Animals Find Homes Thanks To Clear The Shelters Event In Stafford

STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — Dozens of animals found new homes this weekend thanks to the Clear the Shelter event at the Stafford County Animal Shelter. The event, sponsored by Ginger Walker and the Give Back Team, covered adoption fees for 18 cats, 16 dogs, and two bunnies on Saturday.

The annual event is made possible thanks to Walker and the Give Back Team. The Give Back Team is a group of Realtors who work together to support local causes by sponsoring events and donating money to their clients favorite causes. Walker is a local Realtor who has been a supporter of the animal shelter since finding her own beloved animals there.

This year, Walker told Patch that she added a new family member at the event. Walker's daughter brought home Stella, a 6-month-old puppy, from the event.

Walker sponsored the event by donating $2,500. She told Patch that her donation will cover the next 30 adoptions at the animal shelter.

"It was so exciting to see not only the kittens and puppies adopted and the older furbabies too," Walker said.

The animal shelter has been struggling with a high volume of animals in recent months. Just before the event, the shelter noted on Facebook that they had reached capacity and couldn't help any more animals.

"Although there are still adoptable dogs in our overflow section, every adoption is a cause for celebration," the animal shelter said after the event. "We're grateful to everyone who joined us and embraced our mission of finding loving homes for ALL our adoptable pets."

Walker pointed out that many families have been reluctant to add a pet to the home as remote work has tapered off. Even as many animals found homes on Saturday, some animals were surrendered to the shelter during the event.

"It is harder for the shelter now than when people were home all the time and wanted a companion," Walker said. " The shelter said adoptions are down and usually only 10 [animals] find a home on a Saturday, so that made us feel that Clear the Shelters was a success."

Walker noted that seeing some animals surrendered on Saturday helped emphasize just how important the event is. She hopes more families will come out and adopt a pet from the animal shelter.