In March, Coldwell Banker launched its 2017 “Homes for Dogs” campaign, a joint effort with Adopt-a-Pet.com to help precious pups find new homes at various Coldwell Banker offices during the Adopt-a-Pet National Adoption Weekend on Sept. 9 – 10.
So far, Coldwell Banker has aided more than 20,000 dogs at these events, and this year, they’re putting a special emphasis on helping animals who were displaced during Hurricane Harvey.
“As we approached our Homes for Dogs National Adoption Weekend (September 9 and 10, 2017) with long-time partner Adopt-a-Pet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption website, we immediately thought about ways we could also support families and their pets who were impacted by this terrible storm,” wrote SVP of Marketing David Marine in an infomative blog post about the special initiative.
In addition to regular adoptions, attendees in Texas, Lousiana and Florida can volunteer to foster a pet through Adopt-A-Pet’s “Foster A Hurricane Pet” landing page. On the site, there are a number of cats and dogs who need homes for as little as a week and as much as one month.
Meet Charlie, a dog who’s looking for a foster home!
Interested foster parents simply need to fill out a form that asks for pertinent information, such as their name, number, address and any pre-existing connection they may have with the animal and its owner.
They’re also required to acknowledge that they’ll be fully responsible for caring for the pet until they’re able to be reunited with its family.
From there, a local Adopt-a-Pet.com shelter partner will contact the potential foster family and help them through the process of picking up the pet and caring for them over the upcoming weeks and months.
“This specially designed tool will connect neighbors to neighbors, ultimately giving displaced pet owners peace of mind knowing that their animals are safe while they get back on their feet,” said Patricia Mercer, president of Houston SPCA — one of Adopt-a-Pet.com’s largest partners during the aftermath of the storm.
“We expect thousands of animals to come to the Houston SPCA as a result of this catastrophic disaster, and we will see an urgent need for short-term and long-term foster homes in our communities.”
Beyond helping find foster families, Coldwell Banker is urging landlords in the affected areas to lift any pet bans so more individuals are able to become foster parents.
“Whether it’s one week, two weeks or three weeks, any amount of time [managers lift the ban] will be helpful to keep shelters from being overrun,” Marine said in a phone interview.
In addition to facilitating adoptions and finding foster homes, Coldwell Banker offices are raising money for the American Red Cross that will be used to help all Hurricane Harvey victims.
Marine also says Coldwell Banker and Adopt-a-Pet are ready to help those who will be impacted by Hurricane Irma.
“We’re hoping for the best, but we’ll definitely be prepared for the worst, and we’re in full support of Adopt-a-Pet.com and Realogy’s efforts,” he said.