On Saturday, December 18, 2021, Loudoun County Animal Services (LCAS) will host “Empty the Shelters – Home for the Holidays,” its annual fee-waived, pet adoption event, from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Adoption fees will be waived for all available pets, including cats, kittens, dogs, small pets and livestock. The event will take place at the location of the new Loudoun County Animal Shelter, 42225 Adoption Drive, Leesburg. (Please note that Kincaid Boulevard is closed from the direction of Battlefield Parkway and that motorists must take Sycolin Road to Crosstrail Boulevard to access the facility.)
In an effort to help as many pets as possible, LCAS is transferring in dogs and cats from overcrowded and under-resourced partner shelters throughout the region before the event.
“The holidays are about hope,” says Jennie Clutterbuck, an LCAS staff member who is working to help coordinate animal transport efforts. “There are thousands of pets around the country wishing for a family to call their own. This is our opportunity to help our partners in under-resourced communities and make those holiday wishes come true.”
The event will be full of holiday cheer with goodie bags for adopters and more. Santa himself will even stop by for a visit. Prospective adopters can view available pets online at loudoun.gov/animals. The standard adoption screening process still applies during this promotion; most adoptions can be completed on the same day.
All dogs, cats and rabbits adopted from LCAS are spayed or neutered and receive a microchip which is registered to their adopter. Dogs and cats also receive age-appropriate vaccinations.
This year, the LCAS event is part of the nationwide, “Empty the Shelters” event, sponsored by BISSELL Pet Foundation with the hopes of finding homes for all the shelter pets for the holidays. The “Empty the Shelters” event was started by the foundation in 2016 as an effort to encourage more families to adopt a pet into their home. Nearly 68,000 pets have found adoptive homes through this adoption event. Since its inception, the foundation has expanded its “Empty the Shelters” reach to organizations in 45 states and Canada, partnering with a total of 443 animal welfare organizations.
More information about LCAS programs and services is online at loudoun.gov/animals.
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