News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Cookeville-Putnam County Animal Shelter is offering free adoptions for dogs for the next two days.
The animals come fixed, vaccinated, and microchipped for no cost until Saturday at 5. Shelter Director Jennifer Tracy said the shelter is over capacity with some 40 dogs up for adoption during the event. Tracy said adopting during this event does more than just bring home a new family member, it also extends that mercy to another animal.
“They’re actually saving a life by adopting from a shelter,” Tracy said. “Not just the life of the animal they take, as I said, if it opens up a kennel, that’s opening up space for an incoming animal that we don’t have to create a space for.”
Tracy said that the shelter has received more and more surrendered pets due to economic factors preventing people from keeping the pets. Tracy also said they often receive animals from unwanted litters and renters. Tracy said that prospective adopters can bring their pets by the shelter to see how they like their prospective roommates.
“It’s pretty simple, you, we welcome adopters who go ahead and walk through our kennels and see what catches their eye,” Tracy said. “And then we will let them interact with the dog. If they have another dog in the home, we try to encourage them to, to let those dogs meet before the adoption is finalized. There’s a little bit of paperwork. And, in this case, with this promotion, you, we send a god home with you.”
Tracy said the event is the result of donations and partnerships the shelter has received, which already reduced the adoption fees of the animals and, in turn, potentially prevents euthanasia.
“We had the financial means to be able to waive the fees. And if that incentivizes adoption, yay, and that means we don’t have to go to more drastic measures to open, open up kennels for incoming dogs.”
Tracy said the shelter held another waived-fee adoption day last month that went well enough to justify a second. Tracy said prospective adopters need only sign the proper paperwork to complete an adoption.
