Give Paws A Chance Adoption Event

Chatham County Animal Services (CCAS) is hosting a no-cost adoption event, Give Paws a Chance, from January 14^th through 31^st. Adoption fees are waived for dark-colored and heartworm-positive pets during that period.

These pets are at a disadvantage as they are often overlooked by potential adopters at Chatham County’s Adoption Center and around the world and are disproportionately euthanized in shelters across the country. CCAS regularly boosts this population with low- or no-cost adoption events, highlighting individual animals on social media, and bringing these adoptable animals out into the community to lower stigmas.

Heartworm is a treatable condition and dogs with heartworms who are adopted from CCAS leave with a voucher for low-cost treatment. Heartworm-positive dogs often have a smaller pool of adopters to choose from and CCAS hopes the low-cost treatment vouchers will help to lower barriers to these dogs’ adoption.

Why dark-colored animals are more infrequently adopted has been pondered and studied by the animal sheltering community for many years, and there is no single answer. It is more difficult to discern facial expression from afar with darker animals, and they more easily fade into shadows inside their enclosures. Each of these scenarios contribute to potential adopters passively overlooking dark animals through no fault of their own. However, there are also some active biases and stigmas working against dark animal adoption. Studies have shown people believe dark animals seem more threatening or aggressive, are a bad omen or bad luck, or that they are somehow associated with the occult. Data is clear there is no difference in aggression or behavior related to animal color, and there are no statistics to support dark animals being used for occult purposes.

The Give Paws a Chance adoption event began Friday the 14^th. Currently, the public can only access the Adoption Center via appointment; please call 912-652-6575 to schedule an adoption walk-through appointment. The Adoption Center is open 6 days a week from 1 – 4:30 PM, closed on Wednesdays and major holidays.