A Return to Salt Lake City
More than 270 pets found new homes during the Best Friends Animal Society's Super Adoption weekend at the Mountain America Expo Center, a massive adoption event that marked the return of the program to Salt Lake City after a seven-year hiatus. The two-day event, held Aug. 1-2, brought together 18 animal shelters and rescue groups to connect hundreds of adoptable dogs and cats with new families.
Connecting Pets and People
The Super Adoption event, which took place on Saturday, Aug. 1, and Sunday, Aug. 2, featured more than 500 adoptable dogs and cats available for adoption. According to Best Friends Animal Society, all adoption fees for the event were set at under $150. This large-scale initiative was the first time the organization held the event in its home state of Utah since 2019.
Amy Kohlbecker, the Executive Director of the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in Salt Lake City, said the event was designed to help even more dogs and cats find the loving homes they deserve. Kohlbecker noted that large-scale events like the Super Adoption bring together pets from various animal shelters and rescue groups to help people and animals connect with their new best friends.
Family Activities and Education
The event included a variety of family-friendly activities for attendees. On Sunday, Aug. 2, visitors participated in activities such as DIY bandana decorating, coloring pages, and paw printing for children. The event also featured a photo booth, exhibitor booths, and a dedicated outdoor chill zone that provided cooling treats for both humans and pets.
Specialized educational sessions were also part of the weekend's programming. Melissa Thomas of Training to a T presented a session on rattlesnake awareness to help hikers and pet owners stay safe outdoors. Additionally, the Best Friends Salt Lake City Foster Team hosted sessions on kitten bottle feeding to teach the public how to care for the most vulnerable animals.
The Push for No-Kill Utah
The adoption event serves as a critical component of the effort to achieve a no-kill status in Utah. Best Friends Animal Society reported that 56 of Utah's 59 animal shelters are currently considered no-kill. The organization defines no-kill as a 90% save rate for animals entering a shelter, noting that the remaining 10% typically consists of animals with irreparable medical or behavioral issues that prevent rehoming.
Holly Sizemore, the Chief Mission Officer for Best Friends Animal Society, emphasized the impact of adoption on the community's goal. Sizemore stated that if just 6% more of the 7 million households nationwide that add a pet to their family this year chose to adopt rather than purchase from a breeder or pet store, it would end the unnecessary killing of pets in America's shelters.
Community Support and Prevention
The urgency of these adoption efforts is underscored by the volume of animals in need of permanent homes. Best Friends Animal Society noted that last year, hundreds of thousands of loving dogs and cats were killed in shelters across Utah because they lacked safe places to call home. To combat this, the Salt Lake City pet adoption center operates as a foster-based facility that takes in over 2,500 animals each year, including neonatal kittens.
Beyond the adoption event, the organization works through various community programs to prevent animal homelessness. These include spay and neuter services to reduce unwanted litters, community cat programs such as trap-neuter-return (TNR), and a pet food pantry designed to help keep animals in their existing homes.
Looking Toward the Future
The Super Adoption weekend highlights the collaborative nature of animal rescue in Utah. By working with city shelters and rescue groups, organizations like Best Friends aim to create a sustainable no-kill environment. The organization continues to encourage residents to volunteer, whether through local efforts or national opportunities like transporting pets across the country or helping at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah.
Impact of Adoption
The successful adoption of hundreds of pets during the weekend represents a significant step toward the organization's mission of saving every pet. By providing a centralized location for dozens of rescue groups to meet the public, the event aims to make the process of finding a new family member as accessible as possible for Utahns.
