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Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA has record intakes, reduces adoption fees

dog in animal shelter
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The Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA has seen record setting intakes at the shelter and is reducing adoption fees for the second time this month.

“I have never seen our kennels so full in the three years I have been here. We have seen an unprecedented 30 percent increase in dog intakes this year,” said Huck Nawaz, the executive director of the Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA. “Our kennels are completely full and we are desperate to find adoptive homes quickly for both dogs and cats in our care.”

Running July 11- 31, all dog and cat adoption fees are reduced to $25 thanks to a partnership with the Bissell Pet Foundation to Overcome Overcrowding.

The Bissell foundation sponsors reduced adoption fees through the summer national “Empty the Shelters” events hosted in 250 shelters in 42 states.

The Rockingham Harrisonburg SPCA is:

  • Participating in the Empty the Shelters event from July 11 – July 31
  • Reducing all dog and cat adoption fees to $25
  • Not requiring adoption appointments

“Shelters are calling me daily, and Bissell Pet Foundation is feeling the burden of overcrowding. With the euthanasia of homeless dogs up 22 percent in just the first quarter of 2022 alone, we knew we had to act quickly to help at-risk pets,” said Cathy Bissell, founder of the Bissell Pet Foundation. “Empty the Shelters is the largest funded adoption event in the country, and by extending the event to three weeks, we can help meet the immediate need to save lives.”

For more information on adoptable pets, visit www.rhspca.org/adopt

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.