Holiday Adoption Event Hopes to Send Pets Home for Christmas

,GAINESVILLE – The Humane Society of North Central Florida is inviting residents to share the spirit of the season in the most meaningful way possible — by giving a homeless pet a place to call home. The organization will host its annual Home for the Holidays adoption event on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, offering waived adoption fees for dogs and cats ages 5 months and older. Organizers hope the celebration will connect dozens of pets with families just in time for the holidays.

The event will take place at the Humane Society’s campus at 4205 N.W. 6^th Street, where staff and volunteers plan to welcome visitors with festive cheer and a chance to meet adoptable pets of all ages, personalities and backgrounds. Supported by a grant from the ASPCA, the reduced adoption fees are intended to remove financial barriers for prospective families and help more animals transition out of the shelter and into permanent, loving homes.

Each year, the Humane Society cares for thousands of dogs and cats, many of whom have endured hardships before arriving at the shelter. For the organization, the Home for the Holidays event has become a seasonal tradition that highlights the community’s role in helping every pet find the stability, comfort and companionship they deserve.

This year, one special bonded pair is at the heart of the Humane Society’s holiday wish: Skipper and Barbie, 8-year-old sisters who have captured the affection of the entire shelter team. The pair was surrendered at Grace Marketplace before entering the Humane Society’s care, and from the start, their connection was unmistakable. Staff members say the two do everything side by side — sharing blankets, greeting visitors together and rarely leaving each other’s sight.

Their companionship has become one of the most endearing stories inside the shelter. The pair has grown so reliant on one another’s presence that staff describe them as inseparable. While every adoptable animal faces its own journey, bonded pairs often have a more challenging time securing a single home willing to take both pets together. That reality has inspired the Humane Society’s biggest holiday wish: that Skipper and Barbie will spend this season in the warmth of a new family, together as they’ve always been.

As visitors arrive for the adoption event, they will meet pets who have been waiting weeks or months for a forever home, each one with a story shaped by resilience and care. Adoption counselors will be on hand to guide families through the selection process, ensuring a good match between animals and adopters. Volunteers will also help showcase pets’ personalities, from active dogs seeking a yard to quiet lap companions looking for a peaceful retirement home.

The Home for the Holidays event is more than an adoption drive — it is part of the Humane Society’s larger mission of creating sustainable, humane solutions for local pets and pet owners. The organization, established in 2018 through the merger of Alachua County Humane Society, Gainesville Pet Rescue and Helping Hands Pet Rescue, was formed to streamline services, expand community programs and strengthen life-saving outcomes across the region.

As a limited-intake, no-kill rescue shelter, the Humane Society of North Central Florida has remained committed to caring for healthy and treatable dogs and cats in Alachua County for more than 50 years. Since attaining a 95% live release rate and no-kill status in 2017, the organization has continued to sustain that milestone, reflecting its emphasis on rehabilitation, medical care, community engagement and long-term placement.

This weekend’s event offers residents an opportunity to participate directly in that mission. For families seeking to add a new companion to their household, the holiday season provides an ideal moment to open their doors—and their hearts—to an animal in need. And for longtime supporters of the Humane Society, the event stands as a reminder of how collective effort can transform lives, one adoption at a time.

For those searching for a new furry family member, the Home for the Holidays celebration may be the moment when a pet’s journey begins — and when a family’s holiday season becomes even brighter.

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