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ARL offers $25 adoption deal to combat shelter overcrowding

Black Furr-Day Cuddle Busters lasts through Monday Nov. 27, in hopes of finding the furry friends a new home.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Animal Rescue League of Iowa is experiencing an overflow of pets. 

In hopes of freeing up space, the ARL is having a special adoption event for the holiday weekend. 

Black Furr-Day Cuddle Busters is a weekend where adoption pet fees are only $25 for animals six months or older. 

"It's been really exciting to see everybody be excited to help out. I mean, teamwork makes the dream work, right?" said Cassandra Johnson, animal behavior supervisor at the ARL. 

This year in particular, the kennels have constantly been full. 

"We have, this year, dealt with a lot more than usual hoarding cases either with breeders or just hoarders, so we brought in a lot more dogs, more than we normally usually do this year," Brian Madison said, customer experience supervisor at the ARL.

As of Sunday, Nov. 26, there have already been 139 adoptions — and there is still time left. 

"Just a lot of extra work. It's a lot of animals, it's more than we probably normally usually have right now. So, we're really trying to get the word out for adopting," Madison said. 

The ARL has extra volunteers working on this holiday weekend and throughout the year to maintain and take care of the overflow of dogs. 

"When our kennels are full, it is a little bit of a struggle, so this allows us to make a bigger impact," Johnson said. 

For those who are thinking about adopting a pet to give as a holiday gift, the ARL advises they make sure the intentions are in the right place beforehand. 

"Animals are a lifelong commitment and we want to make sure they are going to a good home and make sure that it's the one that wants that extra responsibility," Madison said. 

The ARL will help match each animal to what would best fit each person's needs. 

The adoption event runs through Monday, Nov. 27. 

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