BARL Joins BISSELL Pet Foundation to Celebrate 10 Years of Empty the Shelters®

BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its signature Empty the Shelters® event with a nationwide reduced-fee adoption effort from May 1–17, 2026.

The Brookhaven Animal Rescue League (BARL) is proud to participate in this nationwide event, joining more than 335 shelters across 39 states to help pets find loving homes. During the event, BISSELL Pet Foundation will sponsor reduced adoption fees of $70 or less for cats and dogs, making it more affordable to welcome a new pet into the family. All pets are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.

 BARL will participate May 1–17, offering $35 adoption fees for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. (Few animals will be excluded.) This will include spay/neuter, vaccinations and a microchip. 

Visit barl.net/adopt to see some of the animals. BARL’s Adoption Center is open Thursday - Saturday, 12:00-5:00 pm, and Sunday 12:00-3:00 pm. Petsense will have some BARL cats available for adoption. 

“Ten years ago, Empty the Shelters® began with a simple goal—to bring awareness to the incredible cats and dogs in shelters,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “Today, it has grown into a national effort that has helped nearly 400,000 pets find families. Those adoptions have opened space for other pets to enter shelters, provided relief for shelter teams, and created the heartwarming joy that only adoption can bring. This impact has all been possible thanks to the commitment of shelters, adopters, donors and supporters across the country. As we celebrate 10 years, we encourage everyone to consider adoption and help more pets find the homes they deserve. It’s never too late to make a difference.”

Empty the Shelters is the nation’s largest funded adoption event and has helped nearly 400,000 pets find homes across the U.S. and Canada since its inception in 2016. Sponsored by BISSELL Pet Foundation, the program works with hundreds of animal welfare organizations to reduce adoption fees and make pet adoption accessible to more families. All pets available through participating shelters are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Each shelter determines its own adoption process—prospective adopters are encouraged to contact shelters directly for details.