Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption campaign kicks off

Lee County Animal Services will join more than 2,000 pet shelters and adoption centers across the country for Home 4 the Holidays 2008, a national event organized to raise awareness of the joys of owning shelter-adopted pets. Organizers hope to match more than 350,000 dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens with loving, adoptive families. Lee County Animal Services will launch its local campaign on Dec. 1 and by Dec. 31 hopes to place 300 pets from its facility in life-long homes.

Special pet events in December will include Pet Photos with Santa Dec. 6 from 9 a.m. until noon at the shelter, 5600 Banner Dr., off 6 Mile Cypress Pkwy. next to the Sheriff's Office, and an offsite adoption at Regal Cinemas at Gulf Coast Town Center on Dec. 13.

The adoption fee includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations appropriate for each animal's age, flea treatment, worming, heartworm test for dogs six months or older, feline aids and leukemia test for cats, a county license for pets three months or older, collar, training DVD, Behavior Hotline, Microchip Pet ID, bag of Hill's Science Diet pet food, and 10-day Health Guarantee. The total adoption package is valued at more than $500.