Editorial: It’s win-win at the animal shelter

Animal lovers, mark your calendars for Sunday, June 1 and plan to do your part to help the Burbank Animal Shelter empty its cages between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. On that day, you’ll be able to adopt the pet of your dreams for no charge. This special, one-time event kicks off the shelter’s goal of doubling its adoptions between June 1 and Aug. 31 for a chance at winning a nationwide contest, the “ASPCA Rachael Ray 100K Challenge” that could allow the shelter to purchase a much-needed RV for mobile adoption events.

According to the Humane Society of the United States there are some key reasons to adopt a pet from a shelter: You will save a life (as well as the life of an animal who can take your adopted pet’s place in a shelter), you’ll get a healthy pet, you’ll save money over what you might spend through breeders or pet stores and you stand to feel better, emotionally and physically. Many who have adopted pets from shelters have reported finding it a spiritually rewarding experience, as well.

The Burbank shelter, located at 1150 N. Victory Place, successfully placed more than 400 pets last summer, so must make equally good matches with about 824 critters in the next three months to meet the contest’s challenge. As of this week there were about 60 dogs and 85 cats at the site, all eager to be out of those cages and in the care of new owners. Not looking for a cat or dog? Consider a turtle, a rabbit or even a chicken, all of which can be found at the shelter. And if you can get there on June 1, you’ll be saving up to $104 in adoption fees. This is an incredible deal, all the way around. The animal you adopt wins, the shelter wins and you capture, for free, an abundance of love and the sense of well-being that goes with it. We can’t think of a better way to get started on an unforgettable summer.