ASPCA Launches National Adoption Weekend Campaign from June 5 - 7 to Encourage Virtual Animal Adoptions During COVID-19 Crisis

NEW YORK – The ASPCA® (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has launched the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend, a nationwide adoption event taking place from Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7, to help more cats, dogs and equines find loving homes during the COVID-19 crisis. By providing resources, training and support to participating animal shelters and rescue groups from all 50 states, the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend will encourage and enable the public to safely complete minimal-exposure, contact-free adoptions from their homes.

“To overcome challenges created by COVID-19, animal shelters and rescue organizations are innovating and adapting their services to safely connect local animals with loving homes, but they need all of our help to succeed,” said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “National Adoption Weekend is designed to help shelters conduct virtual adoptions and enable their foster communities to perform adoptions from home—critical innovations that will save lives in the short term and change the ways pet adoptions are conducted in the future. The public can provide critical help by adopting homeless animals and by sharing news of this event with their friends, family and neighbors.”

The ASPCA National Adoption Weekend was created as a response to the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on shelter and rescue organizations, many of whom have suspended or reduced operations and have relied on the incredible support of foster caregivers to temporarily house and care for vulnerable animals in their communities. With tens of thousands of animals across the country in foster care and available for adoption, animal welfare organizations are now implementing innovative solutions, including remote or socially distanced adoptions and online meet-and-greets, to help these animals find adoptive homes.  

To participate in the campaign, potential adopters should visit ASPCA.org/AdoptFromHome to find a local animal shelter or rescue group and search for available animals near them. VCA Animal Hospitals is providing all adopters through the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend a free Healthy Start exam and up to $250 to treat any minor illness at any of their hospitals. This offer will be available to all newly adopted pets and their families in the first 14 days of their adoption, because pets that see a veterinarian have a greater chance of staying in their new home. In addition, PetSmart ® and Petco are offering complimentary adoption kits, which include a free bag of pet food and hundreds of dollars in coupon savings for toys, supplies and preventative medications—as well as services including professional grooming, training and boarding, to anyone who adopts an animal during the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend. Available shelter pets will get extra support from the Shelter Pet Project, which is supporting the campaign by promoting them all weekend across their social media channels.

For more information about the ASPCA National Adoption Weekend, including a comprehensive map listing all participating organizations, visit ASPCA.org/AdoptFromHome. The ASPCA is asking all animal lovers to share adoptable dogs, cats and horses on their social media channels using the hashtag #AdoptFromHome.