CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Last month, the Cherokee County Animal Shelter took in more dogs than it's taken in for years.
Lori Kekel, who works for the shelter, said pets are some of the first cuts families make when they're struggling financially.
"It could be the economy, it could be times are hard for everyone right now," Kekel said. "To a lot of people that's something they can do to cut their expenses."
Now, Kekel hopes to get most of those dogs into new homes by waiving the usual $75 adoption fee all day Saturday, which can give incentives for adoption.
"I think then they feel that they can provide better food, better vet care, better everything when the initial cost isn't as high," Kekel said.
Canton couple Brian and Heather Cash came in a day early to check out dogs before the big day.
"We heard about the free adoption day tomorrow on Facebook through a bunch of friends and just decided we would come up," said Brian Cash.
That's when they met Duke.
"He was actually walking back to his kennel from a morning walk, and a boxer was a breed we were specifically targeting and had no idea we'd find this here," Cash said. "We just fell in love with him instantly and said, 'Alright, we'll just get him today.'"
The couple decided to pay the $75 fee and bring him home Friday. They have no regrets about not waiting an extra day.
"Just for the simple fact of all the vet work that's done with the dogs and the neutering and everything that goes into him, the microchipping, it was well worth it," Cash said.
Cash said the dog would have cost between $1,200 and $1,700 from a breeder.
The adoption fee is waived for dogs that are older than one year from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Cherokee County Animal Shelter.
Fore more information about the event, click here.
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Dogs available for adoption
