adopt

It may be the best thing to come out of 2020! The animal shelters in the Washington area are experiencing a rare and unique occurrence... the amount of dogs available for adoption is increasingly limited! Thanks to the mess of 2020 and everyone pretty much forced to stay at home for a majority of the year, people turned to adoption as a source of comfort and meaning. 

Cindy Sharpley, founder, and director of Last Chance Animal Rescue, a nonprofit animal shelter in Waldorf, had this to say about the rare phenomenon, "We thought people would stop adopting because they would need to conserve their money, but that hasn't happened. It's been just the opposite. They're going like hotcakes. We can hardly keep them in stock."

Another animal shelter, Lucky Dog Animal Rescue in Arlington said it's expecting to end 2020 by helping around 3,385 pets find their forever home! The year prior, they were about to help about 1,800 find homes. Shelter Animals Count, which runs a database and is able to track all the shelter and rescue activities reported that 26,000 more pet adoptions in 2020 than the year before. This number comes from about 500 rescue organizations across the country.

There has been such a demand for animals, that shelters across the country simply do not have enough animals to keep up with this increasing demand.

Mirah Horowitz, executive director of Lucky Dog, had to make some changes to keep up with the demand, and that meant moving the operation online! Horowitz told Washington Post, "Anyone who felt like, 'I can't adopt an animal because I'm at work all day' is now finding they're at home. People want a pet for companionship and to give kids a sense of responsibility and a playmate."

Here are a few people who adopted during these uncertain times and their new forever soulmates:

Story via Washington Post

It's the first Friday of the New Year and we're thrilled to see so many beautiful newly adopted faces! Welcome back, readers, to our original weekly segment where we bring you all the newly adopted faces we come across throughout the week! 

We would like to take a moment to thank all those who have adopted recently, all those who have adopted in the past, and everyone who will adopt in the future. Thank you for providing loving and warm homes for these beautiful animals. And a special heartfelt thank you to those who adopt a senior pet or a pet who may be in need of some extra tender love and care. You are our forever heroes, thank you.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! You can also share your adoption of I Can Has Cheezburger's new Facebook community group, 'ICanHas Storytime,' a place where everyone can share their newly adopted pet with the entire community! Join us in spreading the love! 

This is the greatest idea ever!

If you've always wanted a cat, and just wasn't sure about what living and sleeping with a cat would be like, this one Japanese Inn located in the hot spring town of Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan might be the answer to your questions! My Cat Yugawara, a lovely inn that has a really unique offering... the chance of having a sleepover trial with a potential adoptee! 

In Japan, inns are known as 'ryokans,' and you'll be able to distinguish a ryokan from any common inn, a ryokan has more a minimalist design, futons for sleeping on a mat on the floor, traditionally paper walls, and communal baths (in this case, hot springs as well). What truly sets this inn apart from others is the opportunity to help cats find a forever home. Potential cat owners, who are unsure about living with a cat due to various living conditions, can really have their eyes opened by booking a room with a cuddly and adorable feline. Some rooms at the inn can house up to five people, letting a whole family experience a day in the life of having a cat. 

Happy New Year, beautiful readers! 

Welcome to 'I Can Has Cheezburger' original weekly segment -- meet the newly adopted faces of the week! As a special gift to all of you, we gathered up ALL the newly adopted faces from this past week for a mega-wholesome feel. We absolutely adore seeing all these newly adopted faces and it just makes our hearts burst knowing they'll have a loving and forever home this new year. 

A huge thank you to all those who have recently adopted, to all those who have adopted, and to those who will adopt in the future! You are making such a difference in these animals' lives, because of you they get to live happily and be loved unconditionally. And a mega heartfelt thank you to those who have adopted an older animal or those who might require some extra tender love and care. You are our forever heroes, thank you for giving him a second chance at a wonderful life. 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Senior cats have a warm spot in our hearts. I, personally, have a senior cat of my own of 15 years and I cherish every moment with my handsome old man! 

Our senior pets are a large part of our hearts. Whether you just adopted a senior animal, or have had them since they were young, we have such a strong connection to our older and calmer furbabies. For some of us, our cats have been there with us from a young delicate age and have watched us grow, watched us cry, watched us fall in love, pretty much anything you can think of -- your pet was there for it. 

We love our senior babies and do all we can to let them do how much we love them because truth be told, we don't know how much longer we have with them so it's best to just hug/pet/kiss/cuddle them any chance we get. Here are some senior cats who are still going strong and looking great! 

If you have a senior pet of your own, share an image in the comments below! 

Well, according to Imgur user, daianaaaa, this beautiful senior kitty adopted her, not the other way around. And sometimes, it is the pets who decide who their human will be, and when you've been chosen, it's the best feeling in the world. To be chosen is an honor. 

Daianaaaa was chosen by Molly. A 20-year-old stray who also happens to be blind. Our hearts feel so warm knowing there are people out there who see older animals in need of some love and providing it for them. 

If you're considering getting a pet, please consider adopting instead of shopping. The animals know you've rescued them, they just do and you can feel their gratefulness for it. 

Thank you, daianaaaa, for giving Molly a loving forever home! 

We tend to see a lot more adopted faces around this time of year and would just like to reiterate that adopting an animal is a long commitment that you need to take into consideration and really think about before deciding on adopting. As much as love seeing people adopt animals in need of homes, they deserve homes that can really commit to the animal and give it proper care and love. 

That being said, welcome to 'I Can Has Cheezburger' original weekly segment -- meet the newly adopted faces of the week! We're ecstatic to see so many beautiful faces that found their new forever home this week! It melts our hearts knowing these animals are going to be loved and cared for, for the rest of their lives. 

We would like to thank all those who have recently adopted, those who will be adopting in the future, and those who adopted in the past. And, as always, a mega-shout out to all those who have adopted a senior pet or a pet who requires extra tender love and care. You are our heroes. Thank you all for providing these animals with a loving home. 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Happy Friday, everyone! It certainly is a happy Friday after we saw so many adopted faces this week! Some of which are images from our very own I Can Has Cheezburger Facebook users! Our hearts are bursting seeing so many beautiful animals finding their forever home, and just in time for the holidays!

We would like to thank all those who have recently adopted, who had adopted in the past, and/or will adopt in the future! Thank you all for saving these lovely furbabies and providing them with a warm, loving home! And, of course, a huge mega-shout out to all those who have adopted a senior animal, or an animal that requires a bit more special tender love and care. You are our forever heroes and we adore you.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Happy Holidays!

The end of the week has finally come, and it means that it's time, once again, for one of our absolute favorite segments - the newly adopted faces of the week. So many lovely animals have been rescued this week, from itty bitty puppies and kittens to older pets, and it just makes us so elated to see it!

We want to thank every single person out there who adopted a pet this week and decided to give it its forever home. And we hope that next week, we will have just as many if not more adorable adopted faces to showcase. So, thank you and good luck to everyone who plans to adopt in the future as well, and of course, all of you who have adopted in the past. A special thank you goes to those of you who have adopted a senior pet or a pet in need of more care than most - you're incredible.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Happy Friday, everyone! It's been a long week but we're finally here and to commemorate the occasion, it's time for our favorite weekly segment - the newly adopted faces of the week! We've got quite a few rescued seniors that were adopted this week and our hearts are bursting at the sight of it! 

A major thank you to all those kind folks out there who have recently adopted a pet, have adopted pets in the past, or will adopt pets in the future! All these lovely animals get a forever loving home, thanks to you. And to those who adopt a senior animal, or any animal that requires a bit more love and attention, you are our heroes. Seriously, we adore you. Thank you for giving those animals a second chance at a wonderful life.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Welcome back to one of our favorite and original posts of the week -- the newly adopted faces! Week by week, we gather up all the beautiful adopted faces we come across and share them here with all of you. Each week, it's a blessing to see all these lovely animals finding their forever home filled with love. It fills our hearts with joy to them. 

We would like to take a moment to thank all those who have recently adopted a pet, those who have adopted pets in the past, and those who will adopt pets in the future. We love you all, thank you for giving these beauties a wonderful life. And a huge mega-shout out to all those who adopt older animals or those in need of some extra love and care. You guys are our forever heroes, thank you for giving these pets a second chance at a wonderful life. 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Happy Friday, everyone! It's always a happy Friday here at 'I Can Has Cheezburger' because of all these beautiful newly adopted faces! Our hearts continually burst to see all these lovely animals in their forever home. This week we have plenty of newly adopted faces and even some senior animals who have found their place. 

We would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all those who have adopted recently, all those who have adopted in the past, and those who will adopt in the future. And, as always, a mega shout out to all those who take a chance on adopting an older pet, or a pet who is in need of some extra love and care. You guys are our forever heroes. Thank you to giving these animals a second chance. 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Welcome to our favorite wholesome segment of the week -- the newly adopted faces! You're in for a real treat, this week may be our largest gathering of adopted faces yet (so many rescues!) and each one is simply precious and oh so heartwarming! 

It makes our heart's so full and happy to see all these beautiful faces in their new forever homes. There is truly a no better sight! We would like to thank all those who recently adopted, all those who have adopted, and everyone who will adopt in the future. These gorgeous furbabies wouldn't have such a loving home if it weren't for you. And a special shout out to those who adopted seniors pets or those who are in need of some extra care and loving -- you guys are our forever heroes.

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

Welcome back to one of our favorite weekly segments - the adopted faces of the week! There's nothing quite like seeing all these beautiful faces in their new forever homes, it does the heart good. The overwhelming wholesomeness we feel when we come across animals who are in need of a home and have found the perfect one is simply the best feeling. 

We would like to wholeheartedly thank all those who recently adopted, all those who have adopted in the past, and all those who will adopt in the future. Thank you for making these animal's lives the best one possible. And to all those who adopt a senior animal, or an animal that requires some extra attention, you are our heroes and we cannot thank you enough. We love you all! 

If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list! 

It's going to be a great weekend. It's finally Friday, Halloween is tomorrow and the newly adopted faces are here! So many beautiful adopted faces, our hearts are bursting at the sight of them! 

Each week, we gather up the newly adopted faces and it always delivers the feels. We want to wholeheartedly thank all those who have recently adopted, have adopted in the past, and/or will adopt in the future. These beautiful animals wouldn't have their perfect forever home without you. And an ultra-special shout out to those who adopt senior animals, giving them a second chance at a happy life, and those who need a little more care and attention. You are forever our heroes. 

Another lovely Friday filled with lovely faces, what more can someone ask for? If you recently adopted a pet share an image with us in the comments below or send us a DM on Facebook to be featured on next week's list!