‘Empty the Shelters’ hosts spring national event

BISSELL Pet Foundation is teaming up with Dogtopia to bring its spring national “Empty the Shelters” adoption event to more than 350 shelters in 45 states through May 15, including Fulton County Animal Center, 1540 N. Wentzel St., Rochester.

Adoption fees at participating organizations will be just $50 or less per cat or dog. As the nation’s largest funded adoption event, “Empty the Shelters” has helped nearly 140,000 pets find loving homes with an average of 1,000 pets adopted per day during quarterly national events.

Not every shelter is participating for the full event. Potential adopters are encouraged to visit the “Empty the Shelters” website to find the nearest participating shelter and confirm the adoption day details.

For an interactive map, visit bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-theshelters.

“BISSELL Pet Foundation’s ‘Empty the Shelters’ is proven to make a lifesaving difference, and we are thrilled to team up with Dogtopia, who shares our vision to give every pet their best life,” said Cathy Bissell, founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “This is a very difficult time for shelters across the country, with increasing owner surrenders due to the housing crisis and inflation as well as slowed adoption rates. With Dogtopia’s partnership, we are hopeful more pets than ever will find homes during this national event.”

“Dogtopia believes every family should have the choice to have a dog in their life, so we are excited to help more families experience the joy a dog brings,” said Neil Gill, CEO of Dogtopia. “Enhancing the joy of pet parenthood is core to our organization. All our committed day care teams work hard at developing better canine citizens through exercise, socialization, and education. We understand it takes a village to raise a well-balanced dog, and we’re thrilled to work with BISSELL Pet Foundation to change both dog and human lives through “Empty the Shelters.”

Below are some additional facts about BISSELL Pet Foundation.

• BISSELL Pet Foundation was founded in 2011 by Cathy Bissell.

• “Empty the Shelters” is the nation’s largest funded adoption event and has helped nearly 140,000 pets find homes across the country and in Canada since its inception in 2016.

• “Empty the Shelters” provides reduced adoption fees at shelters, typically ranging from $0 to $50 per animal adoption. Each participating organization has their own adoption process and requirements.

• This is BISSELL Pet Foundation’s first “Empty the Shelters” event partnership with Dogtopia. The nation’s shelters need sup-

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