Elk Grove animal shelter waives pet adoption fees. Here’s how long ‘Adoptober Fest’ will last

If you’ve ever thought about adopting a pet from a shelter but were worried about the fees attached to it, Elk Grove has your back — but act fast.

Elk Grove Animal Services is waiving pet adoption fees for all shelter animals through Oct. 15.

They’re calling the promotion, which started this Tuesday, “Adoptober Fest.”

“We’re just trying to get creative and do what we can to reach out to the people that are feeling prepared to adopt,” said volunteer and event coordinator Koreena Walsh, “and, you know, entice them to come visit the shelter and look at the animals that we have.”

The shelter has many options, as it currently houses more more than 90 adoptable cats and kittens, nearly 40 dogs and one rabbit, according to a city news release.

Elk Grove Animal Services normally charges between $40 to $75 for cats and kittens, and from $100 to $150 for dogs and puppies.

People are encouraged to check out all of the shelter’s adoption rooms and interact with the available pets in hopes of finding one to take home.

“Our shelter, just like a lot of other shelters, are experiencing really high intake numbers,” Walsh said. “We’re receiving a lot more animals than we have compared to previous years around this time. And we are also seeing significantly fewer adoptions than we normally see.”

Staff members and volunteers are onsite to help potential adopters with any questions or concerns, animal services officials say.

The Elk Grove Animal Shelter is not accommodating cat-to-cat or cat-to-dog introductions. Dog-to-dog introductions will be allowed, but it’s recommended that family members meet the new dog alone first.

“We just have lots of wonderful pets that we’re just trying to get more people through the door to come look at them and consider adopting them,” Walsh said.

The Elk Grove Animal Shelter is located at 9150 Union Park Way. Its operating hours are noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. All adoptions must be started by 5:30 p.m. to allow time to finalize the paperwork before the shelter closes

All adopters must be 18 or older and present a valid government-issued photo ID.

Animals will be professionally assessed and provided the following services: spraying or neutering, microchipping, deworming, vaccinations and up-to-date flea and tick prevention.

Adoptions include a free one-year pet license for Elk Grove residents.