On June 20 and 21, more than 1,000 central Indiana homeless dogs and cats are hoping to find their forever homes. More than 25 organizations are participating in the third Indy Mega Adoption Event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. The doors will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days, and there’s no charge to attend beyond the $5 parking fee charged by the Fairgrounds.
Participating groups include regional shelters from Brown, Hendricks, Morgan and Hamilton Counties, as well as FACE, IACC, and several all-volunteer rescues. All animals are up to date on vaccinations and have been spayed or neutered and microchipped. Adoption fees are just $30, and most pets can go home the same day.
On the upside, the large selection, central location and low adoption fees are appealing to potential adopters who either can’t face going into a shelter or need a little nudge to go from thinking about adopting to actually doing it. In promoting the event, the organizers have helped focus attention on the huge numbers of homeless pets. Previous Mega Adoption Events have produced large numbers of adoptions, making room in shelters and rescues for many more animals in need.
On the other side of the coin, being transported and housed with hundreds of other animals in an unfamiliar place can’t help but be stressful for these animals. Some adoptions will be spur-of-the-moment and won’t work out. And if, as some have suggested, certain animals have been specifically tucked away to be showcased at this event and not made available for earlier adoptions, that would be a grave disservice both to those animals and to the many more who come into shelters every day.
Nothing, of course, has just one side. mtA hopes all rescue groups will maintain their usual reasonable standards for potential adopters, and that hundreds of dogs and cats find permanent, happy homes at the Mega Adoption Event!