Humans aren’t the only ones getting some special gifts this holiday season.
Over the years, pet enthusiasts have stressed the importance of adopting animals instead of shopping from a breeder.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pet adoptions surged as people in lockdown sought companionship.
While everyone was cooped up in their houses for months at a time, it only makes sense that many wanted a pet to keep them company.
Unfortunately, once the world started to open up again, many animals were sent back to shelters or adoption centers by owners without the time or money to care for them.
“We received prior to the pandemic five to 10 inquiries per month for people who couldn’t care for their dogs anymore,” said Chloe Esperiquette, development coordinator at Wags and Walks adoption center in Los Angeles. “That’s like doubled since in recent months.”
She added that “every year in the United States, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized.”
While the reality of shelter animals and their fate may be depressing, a bright spot has been found in Pennsylvania.
Two weeks ago, according to CBS News, the SPCA animal shelter in Adams County, Pennsylvania, was filled with cats and dogs.
But as of Saturday, the day before Christmas Eve, the shelter is almost completely empty–except for one cat that came in as a stray a short time ago.
The shelter says this must be a Christmas miracle, because it’s the first time in 47 years that the shelter is empty.
The Adams County SPCA staff and volunteers worked very hard to make this Christmas miracle happen.
Still, they say they couldn’t have done it without the help of the community stepping up and adopting all of these animals into their families.
This year alone, the SPCA adopted out almost 600 animals and reunited 125 strays with their owners.
By clearing the shelter, this enables the rescue to pull even animals from other rescues across the state, saving the lives of more animals.
Now, the shelter hopes that 2024 will bring more adventures and successes to their mission.
“We will be pulling animals from other shelters in PA next week in hopes of relieving some of their stress,” the Adams County SPCA said in a Facebook post. “Right now, we are going to enjoy this accomplishment! Merry Christmas!”