The Hawaii Island Humane Society wants to educate and celebrate pet owners this holiday season.
“We have been talking about doing an event for the community that is rooted in education and give people resources and tools to keep pets in families,” said CEO Lauren Nickerson.
This weekend, HIHS will be hosting a community event for pets and their owners with the goal of enhancing the bond between humans and animals and promoting responsible pet ownership.
HIHS will be offering free microchipping for 100 pets and also will be able to check on current microchips to make sure they are up to date.
“About nine out of 10 lost animals never find their way home, so microchipping and making sure it’s registered with updated information is critical,” Nickerson said. “With fireworks coming up, pets get scared, and we don’t want lost pets sitting in the shelter for longer than they need to be.”
Pet owners also will have access to free pet food, supplies and enrichment toys, as well as expertise on how to best keep pets happy and healthy at home.
“We want to show people that you don’t need a lot of money or time to do enrichment activities with their pet,” Nickerson said. “We hope we can open up opportunities for people to learn about little things they can do to make a big difference in their pet’s life.”
HIHS will be hosting the event at the Animal Community Center in Kailua-Kona from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and at the Keaau Shelter from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
HIHS also is offering special adoption pricing in time for the holidays from Friday, Dec. 17, to Sunday, Dec. 19, as well as Friday, Dec. 24.
Adoption fees for all animals will be waived if adopters spend $75 or more at the humane society retail shop. All profits will go back to the humane society.
HIHS will have at least 50 dogs and 25 cats that will be ready for adoption.
Those interested must submit an adoption application on hihs.org by 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 17.
