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Fee-Waived Pet Adoptions Are Happening In Winnebago County This Weekend

Autumn Star
https://winnebagoanimals.org/
Autumn Star

Fall is coming and now may be the perfect time to cuddle up with something furry. A northern Illinois organization is giving people the opportunity to adopt a new fuzzy companion Friday, Sept. 17 and Saturday, Sept 18.

Amber Pinnon is the adoption and volunteer program coordinator at the Winnebago County Animal Services. She says the Clear the Shelter event is a part of nationwide campaign to promote adoptions.

“And that is promoted by NBC and Telemundo,” she explained. “So, they just set up a campaign. And then we do our annual Clear the Shelter event. This is for fee-waived adoptions of adult cats and dogs who are available are selected for this event.”

Pinnon says this event makes room for other animals who need a home.

“There’s many people who sometimes have too many pets in the home that they're looking to provide better care for,” Pinnon said. “So, they surrender their animals, their stray animals that come in off the street. Animals that unfortunately, maybe their owner was hospitalized or has died. That is like the kind of protective custody case.”

Those who are interested are encouraged to fill out an application ahead of time. Select animals are not available for adoption.

  • Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
Yvonne covers artistic, cultural, and spiritual expressions in the COVID-19 era. This could include how members of community cultural groups are finding creative and innovative ways to enrich their personal lives through these expressions individually and within the context of their larger communities. Boose is a recent graduate of the Illinois Media School and returns to journalism after a career in the corporate world.