There is a dog on the loose in New York City this month. He goes by the name Fido, and he is a VIP (very important pup) with a very important job.
Fido — who, by the way, is a life-size cardboard cutout of a dog — is the ASPCA’S handsome ambassador for the roughly 3.3 million dogs who are taken to shelters around the country every year.
From hanging with the NYPD and FDNY, Fido is making his rounds across New York City to raise awareness not only for October being Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, but also for the plethora of positives that can come from adopting a pet.
While the initiative is nationwide, here in New York, the ASPCA is offering half-priced adoptions through Monday, Oct. 9 for dogs that are one year or older at their adoption center at 424 E. 92nd St. on the Upper East Side.
Adoptions at the center regularly run $75 to $250.
New Yorkers can join Fido’s fun on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by using #FindYourFido to share a photo of their own pet or a shelter pet looking for their own fur-ever home.
Also, by using #FindYourFido and tagging @ASPCA and then going to ASPCA.org/findyourfido, they can share what makes their fur-kid so special and enter to year’s supply of chew toys from program sponsor Nylabone.
The ASPCA will also joining Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) and other partners for two adoption events this week as part of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.
The first, City Howl, is a dog-only adoption that’ll take place Thursday from 4-7 p.m. at City Hall Park at Broadway and Park Place.
The second, Find Your Fido and Friends, will be held Saturday from 1-5 p.m. in Central Park and features available dogs, cats and rabbits. Attendees should enter the park at 60th Street and Fifth Avenue and walk north until they spot adoption vehicles from the ACC and ASPCA.
Adoptions at both events range from $25 to $250, which includes vaccinations, spay/neuter, testing for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukemia virus (FELV), a pre-registered microchip, a collar, ID tag and certificate for free first exam from a participating veterinarian.
You must be at least 18-years-old and have a photo ID and proof of current address to adopt a pet at either event.
