Dallas Animal Services is partnering with the foundation to offer free adoptions in December

Dallas Animal Services will continue to offer free adoptions and partner with the BISSELL Pet Foundation on the organization’s adoption initiative “Empty the Shelters” from December 1st to 17th.

Although the shelter already waives adoption and spay and neuter fees amid ongoing overcrowding issues, the partnership with BISSELL allows the shelter to recoup the cost, according to Mary Martin, assistant director of Dallas Animal Services. The shelter usually covers the cost of the adoption. BISSELL funds the adoption event by paying the shelter a stipend of $50 for each dog adopted and $20 for each cat adopted.

“It covers the cost or helps cover the cost of getting the animals ready for adoption,” Martin said. She said the BISSELL scholarship helps the shelter fund its programs.

As of Friday, the shelter was at 139% capacity, according to the DAS website. In addition to overcrowding, the shelter is in dire need of space to make necessary repairs to several rooms of the enclosure, Martin said. She said the inspection found nine nursery rooms had problems with inadequate seals and were therefore unable to be properly disinfected.

Martin said work on one of the rooms has already been completed, with eight more remaining to be completed. Each room houses about 48 dogs, and Martin said at least one room will need to be vacated so the work can be completed, which she said will take about a week.

Martin said the shelter allows animals to move around in a circle, leaving one room empty, allowing work to be completed on the remaining rooms of the enclosure that need renovation.

Dallas Animal Services previously participated in the Empty the Shelters initiative in May and October.

According to its website, BISSELL offers funding to animal shelters in all 50 states and Canada. Since 2016, the Empty the Shelters initiative has adopted more than 300,000 animals, according to the foundation’s website.

BISSELL also partners with other animal shelters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including the DFW Humane Society in Irving, according to its website.