|
6th Annual Home 4 the Holidays Pet Adoption Campaign Kicks Off!
Nov 15, 2006 Press Release MEDIA CONTACT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fort Myers, Florida, November 15, 2006-Lee County Animal Services will join more than 2,000 pet shelters and adoption centers across the country for Home 4 the Holidays 2006, a national event organized to raise awareness of the joys of owning shelter-adopted pets. Organizers hope to link more than 350,000 dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and other companion pets with loving, adoptive families. Lee County Animal Services will launch its local campaign on December 1st and by December 31st hopes to place at least 250 pets from its facility in life-long homes. To kick-off the campaign Animal Services will partner with KB Home, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, to host a pet adoption event on December 2nd from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will take place at the model complex in Vistanna Villas, located at 8996 Aegean Circle. Visitors will enjoy food, refreshments and entertainment will be provided by WJGO 102.9. Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the model homes and new homes that are ready for move-in prior to the holidays. During this one-day event, pet owners can bring their personal pets and participate in contests including the "Owner Pet Look Alike" contest and enter to win great prizes from PetSmart, Bark Avenue, and Petland. KB Home will be paying for adoption fees for pets adopted at the event and guests who adopt a new pet will only be responsible for a $10 tag fee. Pets adopted during the month of December will go to their new homes with a special gift in addition to the services normally provided with each adoption. The adoption fee will be reduced to $50 for dogs (normally $65) and $40 for cats (normally $50). The fee includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations appropriate for each animal's age, flea treatment, worming, heartworm test for dogs six months or older, feline aids and leukemia test for cats, a county license for pets three months or older, training DVD, and a nationally registered Microchip Pet ID. The total adoption package is valued at more than $400. The Home 4 the Holidays adoption campaign is a departure from the traditional practice of shelters suspending pet adoptions during the holidays, which are normally very hectic. In the past it was considered a bad time to introduce a new pet into the household. However, many shelters euthanize more animals during this period due to overcrowding while missing out on the season when most people seek to add a companion animal to their family. Adoption hours at Lee County Animal Services are 10 am to 4:30 pm Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 7 pm on Tuesday, and 10 am to 2:30 pm on Saturday. For more information call 432-2083. Pictures of pets available for adoption can be viewed online at www.LeeLostPets.com. Lee County Animal Services provides animal control services throughout Lee County and operates an animal shelter to house stray and abandoned domestic animals. Animal intake exceeds 16,000 annually. It also administers low-cost spay/neuter programs, animal cruelty investigation, education, rabies control, and bite case management programs. The shelter is located off Six Mile Cypress Parkway next to the Lee County Sheriff's Dept. |