MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Big Lake Humane Society raised around $9,000 on Wednesday night at one of their biggest fundraisers of the year. It's money they say they badly need as they prepare for one of their busiest times of year.
"It's a very critical time when it comes to cold weather. You know, animals cannot be left outside as it gets colder and colder, so our services increase, but our adoptions do decrease. Families are busy. They're traveling. It's cold. They don't want to train a new puppy. So a lot of pets stay in shelters through the winter," said executive director Alexis Robertson.
"You may think that shelters don't have puppies, but I promise you, we all do. We always have puppies available for adoption."
Robertson says the shelter welcomes adoptions during the holidays, but she's urging people not to give pets as gifts. Instead, she says the pet adoption process should be something your entire family considers carefully, and everyone in your family needs to be on board with the amount of work your new best friend will require you to do.
"We do our best to stress, especially when holidays come, the commitment that comes along with adopting a pet and bringing them into your family," she said, noting that most common pets are a 15- to 20-year commitment.
"Of course, we always do see a spike in surrenders in January, but the best we can do is prepare adopters. As long as you're making sure that it's something your whole family is committed to, and you understand the longevity of that commitment, all these pets need loving homes."
If you'd like to see a list of the pets up for adoption at Big Lake Humane, visit their website.
