Massachusetts animal shelter waives adoption fees this weekend

BOSTON (WWLP) – The MSPCA-Angell is waiving all adoption fees for many of the animals in its care this weekend.

The adoptathon will be held at all four of its adoption centers in Boston, Methuen, Salem, and Centerville on Cape Cod, according to a news release sent from MSPCA. This event is taking place due to an ongoing national dog population crisis and multiple surrenders have pushed their shelter capacity.

Fees will be waived for the following animals:

• Rabbits
• Mice
• Rats
• Guinea pigs
• Hamsters
• Parakeets
• Roosters
• Pigs
• Cats
• Dogs

Those fees range from $15 to $500, and now the money can be put toward the care of these pets. They are hoping to find homes for about 50 mice who were part of a recent large surrender, but they were not available for adoption until now because they were on a pregnancy watch.

The adoptathon begins on Friday and runs through Sunday during open hours at all MSPCA shelters. Open hours in Boston, Methuen, and Centerville are 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem is open from 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

“We’ve been focusing a lot recently on finding homes for dogs, which remains a priority given the gravity of the population crisis,” said MSPCA-Angell Director of Adoption Centers and Programs, Mike Keiley. “We had a lofty goal over the summer of helping as many dogs as we possibly could, and, while we did find homes for hundreds, the crisis hasn’t slowed down, nor is it showing signs of slowing down.”

“So, we can’t slow down either. We’re encouraging adopters by waiving fees for some of the dogs in our care, but we’ve got the opportunity to do more with this event, so we’re including many other species as well.”

“We’re calling this an adoptathon for our underdogs—animals that are older, have some medical issues or physical challenges, and those that are generally in shelters longer,” explained Keiley.