The Walker County Animal Shelter is teaming up with the BISSELL Pet Foundation to help more local pets find homes this holiday season. The shelter is one of 300 locations nationwide participating in the “Empty the Shelters – Holiday Hope” adoption campaign, running December 1–15.
During the two-week event, the shelter will waive adoption fees for adult dogs and cats over four months old. Puppies and kittens under four months may be adopted for $25. The reduced pricing is made possible through sponsorship from the BISSELL Pet Foundation.
Shelter Director Melissa Smith said the goal is to place at least 40 animals in new homes before the end of the year.
“This is the last Empty the Shelters event of the year, and we are truly hopeful many of our animals will find a loving home for the holidays,” Smith said. “When you adopt from our shelter, you save two lives — the pet you take home and the next animal who enters our care because of the emptied kennel.”
This marks WCAS’s fourth Empty the Shelters event of 2025. So far this year, 149 animals have been adopted through the national program.
The shelter, located at 5488 N. Marble Top Road near Chickamauga, is open for walk-in adoptions Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are not required. Available pets can be viewed online at walkercountyga.gov/residents/animal-shelter.
BISSELL Pet Foundation founder Cathy Bissell said shelters across the country have struggled this year as more families face financial strain and housing changes.
“If you’re considering adding a pet to your family, adoption has so many benefits,” Bissell said. “Shelters have pets of every size and age, many of them already house-trained, vaccinated, and ready to become part of your family.”
Since launching in 2016, Empty the Shelters has helped more than 374,000 pets find homes across the U.S. and Canada.
