Mobile County Animal Shelter is giving would-be pet owners an extra incentive to open their homes this December, offering reduced adoption fees for the entire month as part of its annual “Home for the Howlidays” push.
Through the end of December, dogs can be adopted for $65, cats for $50, and pets that have already been spayed or neutered for as little as $25. Shelter staff say the discount is meant to encourage families who have been considering a pet to take the leap during the holiday season, when many households are already thinking about welcoming a new member.
Among the animals hoping to catch someone’s eye is Chrissie, a redbone hound mix believed to be just over a year old. Chrissie was brought to the shelter after being found wandering the streets of Chunchula for months without an owner. Staff describe her as playful, friendly and eager for attention, noting that she gets along well with other animals and would likely thrive in an active household.
Chrissie is just one of dozens of adoptable pets currently available at the shelter, which is located at 7665 Howells Ferry Road. The facility encourages anyone interested in adopting to visit in person, since animals are added and adopted regularly throughout the season. A full, updated list of adoptable animals can also be viewed online at the shelter’s website, mobilecountyanimals.com.
Animal shelters across the country typically see a mix of increased interest and increased strain during the holidays, as some families look to adopt a pet as a gift while others surrender animals ahead of travel or due to financial pressures tied to the season. Reduced-fee adoption events like this one are a common strategy shelters use to move more animals into permanent homes and free up space and resources for animals still waiting to be adopted.
Shelter officials are encouraging residents thinking about adding a pet to their family to consider adoption rather than purchasing an animal, noting that the discounted fees typically include vaccinations and other basic veterinary care that would otherwise add significantly to the cost of bringing home a new pet. Anyone with questions about the holiday adoption event, available animals or the adoption process can call the shelter directly at 574-3647.
The shelter’s staff say they are hopeful the discounted fees will help clear kennels of long-term residents like Chrissie before the new year.
A busy season for the county’s shelter
December is one of the most demanding stretches of the year for a municipal animal shelter. Kennels that already run near capacity through the fall absorb a fresh wave of arrivals as stray intakes continue, litters of puppies and kittens born in the warm months grow into adoptable size, and owners facing holiday travel or tight budgets decide they can no longer keep an animal.
At the same time, foot traffic picks up. Families who have debated adopting a dog or cat all year often use the holidays as the moment to act, and out-of-town relatives visiting the Mobile area sometimes stop in looking for a companion to take home. The “Home for the Howlidays” promotion is designed to meet that wave of interest halfway, lowering the financial barrier at exactly the moment when more people are walking through the door.
Shelter staff note that the fee reductions are more than a marketing gimmick. Every adoption opens a kennel that can then hold another animal pulled from the streets or surrendered by an owner, and that cycle of turnover is what keeps a shelter from running out of room during the winter months.
What the adoption fees cover
The discounted prices carry real value beyond the adoption itself. Vaccinations and basic veterinary care are built into the fee, meaning a family that adopts a dog for $65 is receiving a pet that has already received protective shots and an initial health assessment, services that would cost considerably more if arranged privately after the fact.
The lowest tier of the promotion, $25 for pets that have already been spayed or neutered, highlights the shelter’s long-standing emphasis on altering animals before they leave the facility. Spay and neuter surgery is one of the most effective tools any community has for reducing the number of stray and unwanted animals, since every litter prevented means fewer dogs and cats cycling through shelters in future years.
For adopters, the pricing structure also works as an encouragement to look past puppies and kittens. Many of the animals that have already been altered are adults who have waited longest in the kennels, and staff say those pets often settle into new homes with less work than younger animals require.
Chrissie and the long-term residents
Every shelter has animals like Chrissie: young, healthy and outgoing, but overlooked week after week as visitors gravitate toward other kennels. Chrissie’s road to the shelter was a hard one. She was found wandering the streets of Chunchula, a rural community in northern Mobile County, for months without an owner before anyone was able to bring her in.
Months of living on her own left her resilient and social, staff say, qualities that show in her playful, attention-seeking demeanor. Her comfort with other animals makes her a flexible candidate for households that already have pets, and her hound mix energy points toward a family that can offer regular exercise and room to run.
Redbone hounds and their mixes are known as affectionate, even-tempered dogs with a strong scenting instinct, a breed heritage that makes them enthusiastic walking companions. Dogs with that kind of energy do best with owners who can commit to daily activity, which is why staff highlight the fit between a dog’s temperament and a family’s lifestyle rather than encouraging impulse decisions.
Long-term residents like Chrissie are the primary target of the holiday promotion. The longer an animal stays in a kennel, the more stress it endures and the more resources its care consumes, so moving seasoned residents into homes before the new year is both a welfare goal and a practical one.
Adopting during the holidays, responsibly
Shelter officials are quick to pair the holiday discount with a word of caution that shelters nationwide repeat every December: a pet is a long-term commitment, not a surprise gift. Animals adopted in a burst of holiday enthusiasm too often return to kennels in the weeks that follow once the novelty wears off or the realities of training set in.
Staff encourage families to involve every member of the household in the decision, to think through the costs of food, veterinary care and grooming that continue long after adoption day, and to consider whether their schedule can accommodate a new animal’s needs. Those who adopt with their eyes open, shelters find, are far more likely to keep the pet for life.
For families who have done that planning, shelter staff say the holidays can actually be an ideal time to adopt. Households are often gathered together with time off from work and school, giving a new pet several days of attention and routine-setting before everyone returns to their regular schedules.
Why adoption beats purchasing
The shelter’s push comes amid a broader effort by animal welfare groups to steer prospective pet owners toward adoption rather than commercial sources. Dogs and cats purchased from breeders, pet stores or online listings can carry steep price tags and uncertain health backgrounds, while shelter animals come vaccinated, evaluated and, in many cases, already altered.
Adopting locally also keeps resources in the community. Fees paid at the Mobile County shelter support the care of the animals still waiting in its kennels, and every adoption there represents one fewer animal that will need to be housed at public expense.
Visiting the shelter
The shelter, at 7665 Howells Ferry Road in Mobile, encourages prospective adopters to come see the animals in person. Staff can introduce visitors to specific dogs and cats, answer questions about an animal’s history and temperament, and help match a family’s living situation with the right pet.
Because intakes and adoptions happen daily, the roster of available animals changes constantly during a promotion period. The shelter’s website, mobilecountyanimals.com, maintains an updated list of adoptable pets for those who want to browse before visiting, and a phone call to 574-3647 can answer questions about hours, requirements and specific animals.
Residents who are not in a position to adopt can still support the shelter’s holiday effort in other ways. Fostering an animal temporarily frees kennel space, donations of food and supplies offset operating costs, and simply spreading word of the promotion among friends and neighbors extends its reach through the community.
The weeks ahead
Shelter staff say their hope for the promotion is simple: that the kennels that are full today are noticeably lighter by the time January arrives, with animals like Chrissie settled into permanent homes instead of waiting behind a gate.
The discount runs through the end of December, giving families the remainder of the holiday season to visit, meet the animals and complete an adoption. For the dogs and cats at 7665 Howells Ferry Road, each of those adoptions is the difference between spending the new year in a kennel and spending it in a living room.
Staff say they will keep the promotion running as long as there are animals waiting, and they expect the combination of discounted fees, holiday goodwill and the shelter’s steady roster of adoptable pets to keep visitors coming through the doors until the calendar turns.