SALT LAKE CITY — The Humane Society of Utah has taken a look back at the past year, and they said more people in Utah are adopting animals than ever.
According to a press release from HSU, 9,910 cats and dogs found loving homes in Utah in 2014, which they said is among the highest rates for pet adoption in the nation.
“We’re elated that we were able to place almost 10,000 dogs and cats last year,” stated Gene Baierschmidt, HSU executive director, in the press release. “It truly was a watershed year for us.”
The group attributes the high number of adoptions to several changes they made, including a new dog adoption area called “The wait is over, Rover.” A similar area for cats called Kitty City has also been a factor. The release stated dog placements have increased more than 50 percent since the new center opened. The trend continued at Kitty City, which bumped cat placements up 25 percent the year it opened.
Officials with Humane Society of Utah said they plan to continue to expand their adoption programs.
“Everything just seemed to come together in 2014 allowing us to have a record year for placements,” Baierschmidt stated in the press release. “In 2015 we plan on continuing to enhance and refine our multi-pronged adoption programs to allow us to place even more animals in good homes.”
