HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dozens of pets left the shelter with their new families as the Harrisburg Humane Society kicked off its annual Holiday Adopt-a-Thon on Saturday. The Harrisburg area shelter teamed up with the Brandywine Valley SPCA to help get sheltered pets into loving homes at discount rates.
Many people stood outside of the shelter for hours on the first day of Adopt-a-Thon to bring home a new furry member of the family.
“We were probably 30 to 40th in line and then by the time they started, we were able to see the line wrapped around almost the entire building," said Jamie Risley, who drove up from Dillsburg for the event. “We’re looking for a cat just to be able to give it a loving home so that it’s not in the shelter, especially over the holidays.”
Around 200 animals are up for adoption throughout the weekend. Amanda Brunish, the outreach coordinator with the Harrisburg Humane Society, said the event brings awareness to the number of animals in shelters—which has gone up over the past few years.
“We’re seeing stray dogs that came in from backyard breeders or puppy mills, unfortunately," said Brunish.
Volunteers are hoping to get as many dogs and cats out of the shelter and send them to committed and loving families.
“It’s not a holiday gift, it’s not something you give a cute little puppy or cute little kitten, have it for a few months and then you return it, it's truly a lifetime commitment," said Brunish. “People do care, they do want to adopt a shelter pet, and that really means a lot to us.”
The Holiday Adopt-a-Thon runs through Sunday, December 10th at 5:00 p.m.