The BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is bringing holiday hope to homeless pets with its Empty the Shelters® – Holiday Hope reduced-fee adoption event. The program is designed to make adoption more affordable and accessible for families while helping deserving shelter pets find loving homes across the country.

The City of Houston’s BARC Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, located at 3300 Carr Street, will participate in the nationwide event by offering significantly reduced adoption fees. During the Holiday Hope program, fees at BARC are set at $50 for puppies four months or younger, $20 for dogs five months and older, and $10 for all cats and kittens. Fees include spay/neuter surgery, dewormer, age-appropriate vaccinations, rabies vaccination, flea prevention, a pet microchip, and a one-year pet registration with the City of Houston.

To provide more opportunities for adoption, BARC will extend its hours by opening on Mondays, traditionally a day the shelter is closed. Regular adoption hours during the event will be 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily from December 1–15.

The Empty the Shelters program, the nation’s largest funded adoption event, has helped more than 374,000 pets find homes across the United States and Canada since its launch in 2016. Sponsored by BISSELL Pet Foundation, the initiative partners with hundreds of animal welfare organizations to reduce adoption fees and encourage families to give shelter pets a permanent home. All participating pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped, ensuring adopters bring home healthy, ready-to-love animals.

Prospective adopters are encouraged to contact BARC directly for details about the adoption process and to take advantage of this holiday opportunity to provide a loving home to a shelter pet.