On November 1, a heartening development saw 25 pets finding new homes. However, Animal Care and Protective Services (ACPS), Jacksonville’s municipal animal shelter, is on a mission to secure homes for an additional 425 animals by the end of this month. They are hosting a free adoption event throughout November to make this vision a reality.

Although the adoption fee waiver is available all month, ACPS is ramping up its efforts particularly on weekends through a series of themed community events. These events aim to draw attention and engage the community in the adoption process, starting with the Florida-Georgia weekend.

On Saturday, November 8, ACPS will participate in Porchfest, an annual music festival in historic Springfield, where they will showcase some of their adoptable dogs. This offers a unique opportunity for festival-goers to meet potential furry companions in a lively setting.

The weekend of November 15 brings the Guns vs. Hoses: Shelter Edition event. In this friendly competition, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department will each represent a team of adoptable pets. The challenge is to see which team can facilitate the most adoptions, adding an element of excitement and community spirit to the adoption drive.

During the weekend of Nov. 15 , it’s Guns vs. Hoses: Shelter Edition. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department will each have a sponsored team of adoptable pets and will compete to get them all adopted first.

ACPS says it also plans to join in on the fun at Petesgiving on Nov. 27 and participate in “Black Fur-day” with its own adoption specials that weekend.

The month-long event comes on the tail of the Pet Adoption Festival, where ACPS said it managed to adopt out more than 140 animals in two days.

ACPS is open every day from noon to 7 p.m. You can see all available animals now either on the shelter’s website or through its new pet matchmaking app, JaxPawFinder.

As it strives to get more animals into homes quicker, ACPS also announced a change to its policy on stray holds. 

When a stray animal enters the shelter, they are often put on hold so that no one can adopt them for a certain amount of time. This gives the owner, if they exist, time to reclaim their pet. Traditionally, ACPS Jacksonville kept the hold active for six days.

ACPS posted to social media that it wants to move toward 3-day stray holds instead, to mixed reactions. The shelter said that, based on its data, lost pets are almost always reclaimed within 72 hours of intake. 

“A 6-day hold does not increase reunions,” said a shelter representative in a social media video. “It increases stress, illness, and overcrowding. It blocks animals from moving into adoption, foster or transfer at the time when they need it the most.”

Some commentators raised concerns about owners who may be out of town for work or vacation. ACPS responded, encouraging owners to make sure their animals have proper identification, like microchips or collars with updated contact information, so that that they can be reached quickly no matter their location.