What to Know
- Several shelters and rescue groups will waive adoption fees or offer a discount for dogs that are 40 pounds or more
- Jan. 15-31, 2022
- Best Friends Lifesaving Center, Pasadena Humane, and Burbank Animal Shelter are all participating
Relocating to one end of the couch, clearing space on your bed, making room in your heart, all to give a larger Lassie or Laddie a happy new home?
These are pretty easy tasks, all told, when you think of the love that will soon grow between you and your buddy.
And the notion grows even easier when you ponder the fact that many Fidos that are 40 pounds or more sometimes linger longer at shelters compared to smaller dogs, often remaining unadopted for months or even years.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
But a number of shelters, rescue groups, and animal-minded organizations around the Golden State are asking pooch people to "Live Large" over the second half of January 2022, making the commitment to a canine that may require their very own dedicated cushion on the sofa.
And more importantly, their own dedicated space in a person's life, mind, and heart.
Best Friends Animal Society of Los Angeles is one of the go-to spots for the Jan. 15-31 campaign, meaning you can fall in love with a large pup at its Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Mission Hills and find your adoption fees waived.
Many participants will totally waive the cost of adopting a dog that weighs 40 pounds or more, while other groups will offer discounts during the two-week happening.
Some of those regional groups include Best Friends, Pasadena Humane, Burbank Animal Shelter, and City of Long Beach Animal Care Services. Wherever you choose to go, you'll want to check with a particular animal organization about what fees might be (or if they're free) during the event, and if they're holding online appointments instead of in-person meet-ups.
"The goal is to get 500 or more big dogs into homes in two weeks," said Kaylee Hawkins, Pacific Region Director at Best Friends Animal Society.
"Since it's been hard to live large in the usual ways during this pandemic, our message is that a big dog can bring large amounts of love and fun into your life. Even if you live in a small space, there's a big dog waiting in a shelter that can be perfect for you."
Big kisses, big hugs, big snuggles in front of the TV: Find your fab 40-pound Fido, or an even more colossal canine, by checking in with one of the listed participants, or other regional shelters that may be joining in, over the last two weeks of January.
