July 6, 2023

BARC Houston, BISSELL Pet Foundation Partner to Waive Adoption Fees for Summer National “Empty the Shelters” July 6-31

BARC, the City of Houston's Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, and BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, are excited to announce that they will be teaming up with MetLife Pet Insurance for the foundation’s upcoming “Empty the Shelters” adoption event.  From July 6 to July 31, BISSELL Pet Foundation's Summer National “Empty the Shelters” will occur at more than 335 shelters in 44 states with pets available for adoption, including BARC Houston. With the shared goal of helping pets find and stay in loving homes, this collaboration will save lives by expanding the foundation's reach to include more shelters across the country and allow BARC to completely waive adoption fees during this summer’s campaign.

For this upcoming campaign, BARC Houston will once again waive adoption fees for all cats and dogs. To help ensure another successful campaign, BARC will also be extending its adoption hours by opening its adoption center Mondays throughout the campaign, when we have traditionally been closed. Interested adopters can visit BARC’s Adoption Center at 3300 Carr St. any day from June 6 - 31 from noon to 5 p.m. to take advantage of the Empty the Shelters campaign and our waived adoption fees. All interested adopters can find more details online at www.houstonbarc.com.

Since the 2016 inception of BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters,” nearly 158,000 pets at 669 animal welfare organizations in 49 states and Canada have received second chances. An average of 1,200 shelter pets are adopted each day during each quarterly national event. Through this partnership and continued support, the foundation is looking forward to reaching more pets in more shelters and communities during this upcoming event.

“We are excited to team up with MetLife Pet Insurance to offer 30 days of pet insurance at no cost to the adopter, as well as the opportunity to purchase an annual pet insurance policy, which could make a difference in helping adopters deal with their pet’s unexpected illness or injury," said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. "Veterinary costs add up quickly, and too often, pet owners forgo care or surrender their beloved pets when they can't afford treatment. This collaboration could help to enable more pets in more communities to be adopted through 'Empty the Shelters' and can help facilitate adopters seeking treatment to keep their pets healthy and in their new homes.”

BARC is excited to once again partner with the BISSELL Pet Foundation to offer completely waived adoption fees through another Empty the Shelter Campaign. More than 1,000 BARC animals found their forever homes in our Fiscal Year 23 campaigns, and BARC hopes to help continue this success by opening its adoption center on Mondays throughout the campaign.

BISSELL Pet Foundation and BARC Houston urge families to do their research about the pet they are interested in adopting, as well as adoption requirements. For more information on adopting or donating to “Empty the Shelters,” visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters as well as www.houstonbarc.com.