Salem Shelter Reduces Adoption Fees For Special 'Lucky' Dogs

SALEM, MA — While dog and cat adoption rates in Massachusetts remain far higher than they are in other parts of the country, there are those surrendered and rescued dogs that still have a harder time finding their forever homes than others.

These dogs may be larger breeds, older, have certain medical issues, a need for socializing or training, or are best suited in a single-dog home or need lots of space to run.

The Northeast Animal Shelter of Salem and MSPCA-Angell are looking to find these "lucky" dogs the right place for them by reducing the adoption fees for more than a dozen dogs across the state through the end of the month.

The adoption fee for these select dogs is reduced to $100 — a savings of hundreds of dollars over typical fees through the collaboration — through donations to the organizations.

Dogs who qualify for the special promotion are marked with a star on their adoption profile pages here.

One of these dogs is Texas (shown above), a 6-month-old German Shepherd mix who was rescued from an overcrowded animal shelter in South Carolina. Texas has been waiting for his forever home for about four months.

Texas is smart and curious and has begun training. He also has a lot of energy and will require ongoing training to "become the best dog he can be."

The MSPCA and Northeast Animal Shelter will highlight continued efforts to bring rescue pets to New England from across the country as part of their annual Giving Day on March 23.

The Giving Day will include a showcase of free, live presentations from senior staffers on the significance and logistics of the transports like the one that brought Texas to the state.

Those interested can go here for more on the Giving Day events.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)