BOSTON (WHDH) - Two animal shelters in Massachusetts overwhelmed by the number of small animals in their care are waiving adoption fees this weekend in hopes of finding the pets forever homes.
Small pets, including rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and birds, will be available for adoption with no fees Saturday and Sunday at MSPCA-Angell and the Northeast Animal Shelter.
The MSPCA has 187 small pets available across their Boston, Centerville, and Metheun locations after seeing a 66 percent increase in rabbit and guinea pig surrenders in the last year.
Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA-Angell and interim executive director at Northeast Animal Shelter, hopes that families anticipating a return to the workplace will focus on animals that are great companions for those with busy lifestyles.
“Many people we talk to don’t realize we work to find homes for more than just dogs and cats. Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and birds make wonderful pets—and we hope families looking to adopt will take advantage of this fee-waived adoption weekend,” he said. “Rabbits and other small pets are also great co-workers for people working at home and a good choice for those concerned about returning to the office and spending less time at home.”
Keiley added that temporary foster homes will also be considered given that the adoption centers have become so crowded.
“If folks cannot commit to adoption but might be able to house some of these pets until permanent homes can be found, we’d absolutely be interested in those conversations as well,” he said.
Adoption appointments can be booked in advance at mspca.org/smalls and neas.org/smalls.
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