BARC, BISSELL Pet Foundation and Dogtopia Team Up to “Empty the Shelters”

BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is excited to announce it will team up with Dogtopia for the foundation’s first “Empty the Shelters” national adoption event of 2023. From May 1 to May 15, BISSELL Pet Foundation’s Spring National “Empty the Shelters” will occur at more than 350 shelters in 45 states with pets available for adoption for just $50 or less, including BARC, the City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Center.
For this upcoming campaign, BARC Houston will once again waive adoption fees for all cats and dogs. To help ensure another successful campaign, BARC will also be extending its adoption hours by opening its adoption center Mondays throughout the campaign, when we have traditionally been closed. Interested adopters can visit BARC at 3300 Carr St. any day from May 2 – 15 from noon to 5 p.m. to take advantage of the Empty the Shelters campaign and our waived adoption fees. All interested adopters can find more details online at www.houstonbarc.com.
Since the 2016 inception of BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters,” nearly 140,000 pets at 605 animal welfare organizations in 47 states and Canada have received second chances. An average of 1,000 shelter pets are adopted each day during each quarterly national event. Through this partnership and continued support, the foundation is looking forward to reaching more pets in more shelters and communities during this upcoming event.
“BISSELL Pet Foundation’s “Empty the Shelters’ is proven to make a lifesaving difference, and we are thrilled to team up with Dogtopia, who shares our vision to give every pet their best life,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “This is a very difficult time for shelters across the country, with increasing owner surrenders due to the housing crisis and inflation as well as slowed adoption rates. With Dogtopia’s partnership, we are hopeful more pets than ever will find homes during this national event.”
BARC is excited to once again partner with the BISSELL Pet Foundation to offer completely waived adoption fees through another Empty the Shelter Campaign. More than 230 BARC animals found their forever homes in our previous campaign, and BARC hopes to help continue this success by opening its adoption center on select Mondays throughout the campaign.
BISSELL Pet Foundation and BARC urge families to do their research about the pet they are interested in adopting, as well as adoption requirements. For more information on adopting or donating to “Empty the Shelters,” visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org/empty-the-shelters as well as www.houstonbarc.com.

About BISSELL Pet Foundation:
BISSELL Pet Foundation is a charitable 501©(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to help reduce the number of animals in shelters through pet adoption, spay/neuter programs, microchipping, and crisis and disaster response. Founded in 2011 by Cathy Bissell, BPF is an extension of her long-standing love for animals and commitment to their welfare. BPF has since partnered with more than 5,700 shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada to help pets find loving homes. The foundation is supported by generous donors and BISSELL Homecare, Inc., where every purchase saves pets. To learn more, visit www.bissellpetfoundation.org.
About BARC
BARC, the City of Houston’s Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, takes in more than 25,000 animals annually regardless of behavior, breed, or medical condition. BARC works each day to improve Houstonians and their pets’ health and safety by pioneering programs such as low-cost and no-cost spay/neuter services, mobile adoptions, transfer/rescue partnerships, and community outreach.
Visit www.houstonbarc.com or www.Facebook.com/BARCHouston for more information.