HART for Animals, Inc.: No Fee/Low Fee All Love Adoption Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
This grant fully covered the adoption fees for 24 pets in our care, removing financial barriers for prospective adopters and allowing animals to find loving homes more quickly. By offsetting these costs, we were also able to take in additional pets in need.
The $4,000 in funding supported the adoption of six puppies ($250 each), seven adult dogs ($225 each), one senior dog ($112.50), and 10 cats ($85 each).
This support increased the adoptability of our pets and helped reduce their length of stay. All funding was utilized by Feb. 17, resulting in 24 pets finding homes within just 27 days. This demonstrates the significant impact of this funding, as on average, pets remain in our care for at least 20 days prior to adoption. It also helped several long-term resident dogs finally find their forever homes!
This grant allowed us to continue advancing our mission of improving the lives of homeless animals in Western Maryland and our surrounding regions. By increasing adoptions, we were able to create space for more pets from our local shelter, the Garrett County Animal Shelter, helping to alleviate shelter intake and better serve our community.
How many pets did this grant help?
24
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
During this period, several special pets found the loving homes they deserved thanks to this funding!
One of these pets was Tequila (first photo), a 4-year-old treeing walker coonhound who waited 236 days to find a home of her own. Tequila came to us after being found as a stray and was never reclaimed. She embodied all the classic coonhound traits, and we knew she had so much potential for the right family!
When her adopters saw her featured on our social media promoting Tequila and the grant funding, they knew they had to meet her! Having recently welcomed a male coonhound named Buddy into their home, they felt the timing was perfect, especially with Tequila’s adoption fee sponsored. Tequila was adopted in February (second photo) and is now living her best life in her forever home alongside Buddy and her loving family, including her human siblings (third and fourth photos).
Bobby Sue (fifth photo) is another pet whose life was changed thanks to this grant! At 8 years old, senior beagle Bobby Sue came to HART after her previous owner sought euthanasia due to her age and some treatable medical concerns Bobby Sue had been experiencing. Fortunately, compassionate individuals intervened, recognizing that she still had plenty of life and love left to give.
Once in our care, Bobby Sue received treatment for worms and a skin condition, and got surgery to correct her cherry eye. She quickly captured the hearts of our staff and volunteers with her sweet and spirited personality.
When she met her adopter, it was an instant connection. Bobby Sue was adopted in January by a wonderful individual affectionately known as “Beagle Bob,” a perfect match for his new best friend! We couldn’t be happier that she received the second chance she so deserved (sixth photo)!
A feline friend who benefited from this grant was Stevie (seventh photo), an adorable long-haired tortoiseshell cat. Thanks to this funding, Stevie found her forever home in just nine days, an especially meaningful outcome, as adult cats often experience longer stays in our cattery compared to kittens.
Now renamed Cinnamon, she is thriving in a home with another cat, two dogs, and even a bird. Her adopter shared that they all bonded quickly, like long-lost siblings (eighth photo).
Thank you to the Petfinder Foundation for making these, and many more, happy endings possible through this generous grant support!
