There’s still time to adopt a pet and help Brookhaven Animal Rescue League to “Empty the Shelters.”

With reduced adoption fees sponsored by BISSELL Pet Foundation, BARL is offering $35 adoption fees for cats and $50 fees for dogs until the end of July. Fees are normally $85 and $100. The event ends Sunday.

This is the longest-ever Summer National “Empty the Shelters” event, and more than 250 shelters in 42 states are participating. The adoption fees include age-appropriate vaccinations, spaying or neutering, and microchipping for dogs.

“BARL is a private shelter with limited space and funds. We are taking in as many animals as we possibly can and it is not enough,” said BARL president Rusty Adcock. “We need more adopters and — most importantly — we need people to spay or neuter their animals. They are breeding faster than we can save them. In recent years, we’ve had an outlet for some animals by transporting them to shelters in the Northern U.S. where they were adopted immediately. Unfortunately, many shelters all over the country are having staffing shortages and our transports have been greatly reduced.”

“We’ve been asked why many states in the north do not have this animal overpopulation issue. It is a combination of reasons,” Adcock said. “Many have extensive animal control programs in counties and cities so animals are not allowed to roam, and therefore breed. Also there seems to be a deep commitment to sterilizing animals. Many municipalities have ordinances regulating spay/neuter which prevents the birth of so many unwanted animals.”

The “Empty the Shelters” event is the largest funded adoption event in the country. With a goal of encouraging more families to choose adoption, this lifesaving effort has helped more than 96,000 pets find loving homes since 2016.

For more information, visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters. For more information on adopting from BARL, call 601-757-4367 or visit barl.net.