ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Picture this: You're curled up in front of your fireplace, holiday decorations spread throughout your home, hot chocolate in a festive mug, snow falling outside and music playing softly in the background.
Sounds perfect, right? Now imagine all of those things but with a furry friend on your lap.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is eager for its residents to find homes for the holidays, and Priority Automotive is trying to help with its "Home for the Pawlidays" pet adoption campaign, which runs Dec. 1 to 31, or until funds run out.
Priority is covering the full adoption fees for any "adult" dog or cat six months or older. Priority is also covering the adoption fees for all smaller animals, regardless of age. There are currently 30 animals at the shelter looking for new homes, but the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria said they have new animals coming in every day.
Last year, 105 adult animals were adopted from the shelter during the "Home for the Pawlidays" initiative, which was the largest number of adoptions for any month in 2018, a press release said.
Since 2009, Priority Automotive has helped pay the adoption fees of more than 2,100 adult dogs, cats and other small furry animals during the holiday season by helping shelters across Virginia.
"This is a holiday tradition for the Priority family and we love doing it," Priority Automotive President and CEO Dennis Ellmer said. "The holidays are always a popular time for puppies and kittens, but adult animals have a more difficult time finding homes. We know that by covering the initial cost of the adoption we can make it easier for these wonderful, loving animals to find homes. We know we’re making a difference."
The adoption fee covers medical care for the animals before they're taken to their fur-ever home, which includes an exam, vaccinations, spaying and/or neutering and micro-chipping.
"Every animal deserves a loving home, and we're so grateful to Priority Automotive for providing this opportunity to help more animals find theirs," AWLA Executive Director Stella Hanly said. "This holiday season, give an animal in need the greatest gift of all -- a family."
