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PHOTOS THIS PAGE COURTESY SFSPCA
Comed
and Vician Kevin Nealo
Lindsay toria’s Secret Mn
pets at Ellingson promodel
Society Best Friends A ote
’s adopti
n
on evenimal
t.
starts the week before Thanksgiving and
concludes after New Year’s Day.
“Some people come every year and
will stop by, and maybe adopt,” Maloney
said. “Then we get people who didn’t even
know the event existed. They walk by and
see this cute pet, and they fall in love.”
Whiskers in wonderland
An umbrella organization that presides over
150 shelters and rescue groups in the New
York City area hosts a fun holiday-themed
event just for kitties and bunnies. The
Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals — a
privately funded nonprofit
that began in 2003 with
the help of Mayor Michael
Bloomberg, but has no current connection to the mayor’s office — hosts Whiskers
in Wonderland annually on
a weekend in November or
December (November 12th
and 13th in 2016).
Steve Gruber, director of
communications for the Mayor’s
Alliance, said the group promotes
cats at the event because more cats than
dogs live in shelters and need homes.
Rabbits, as a less-common pet, don’t get a
lot of exposure and need extra help.
Whiskers in Wonderland has been held
in many venues over the years. Now, the
Mayor’s Alliance partners with the Petco
Foundation and the Petco store in Union
Square. Here, several rescue groups park
adoption vans outside the store. People
can walk into the vans, which have builtin cages for cats and kittens. Meanwhile,
rabbits await people in an indoor pen
area where they run around and play,
Gruber said.
Many pedestrians stroll by, discover the
pets, and leave with a new family member.
But others come seeking a Christmas gift
for themselves: a furry companion.
“Many people who come out for this
event want to adopt and know this is a
good opportunity to meet a lot of cats and
kittens and rabbits,” Gruber said. “Rather
than just going to one
shelter, they have the
benefit of meeting pets
from multiple shelters.”
Several rescue
groups decorate their
vans to highlight
the holiday feel.
They might string
up lights and garlands; meanwhile, a
sound system plays
seasonal carols.
“We kind of look at it as the beginning of the holidays for a lot of people,”
Gruber said. “Some people think about
adopting during the holidays. For some
families, it’s a really good time to bring a
new pet home because the children are
home from school. Parents might want
to adopt as a gift; when done responsibly,
that’s a great thing.”
Other people might come by Whiskers
in Wonderland to learn more about cats
and rabbits, then adopt in January after the
bustle of the holidays passes.
“People love this event,” said Gruber,
who calls it the best cat adoption event of
the year.
Other holiday promotions
Many animal shelters and rescues do fun
and quirky fundraisers during November
and December, like dressing someone up
as Santa Claus to pose with people for pictures with their pets.
The American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, based
in New York City, often hosts a Cute Pet,
Ugly Sweater contest. People dress up
their pets in funky holiday sweaters and
submit the photo through social media;
meanwhile, the ASPCA promotes some
of its own adoptable pets in the contest.
Best Friends Animal Society, with headquarters in Utah, welcomes the holiday
season with a free-adoption promotion,
Home for the Pawlidayz, through a partnership with Zappos.com. From Black Friday
through Cyber Monday, Zappos sponsors
the adoption costs for cats and dogs, and
donates an additional $150 per adoption
to Best Friends. Best Friends also does a
December holiday-themed Super Adoption
event in New York City where celebrities
help promote adoptable pets.
Kellie B. Gormly is a Pittsburgh-based journalist
who divides her time between writing and rescuing kittens and cats. She blogs about fostering
at mothercatresaschronicle.blogspot.com
LIVE WELL. DO GOOD. BE GREAT.
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