Roice-Hurst Humane Society is partnering with the ASPCA and joining The Rescue Effect, a national effort to help more animals find homes! When you adopt a pet, you change more than one life — you open space for more pets in need, creating a ripple of impact. Adopt a pet, help many. That’s The Rescue Effect.
The ASPCA has generously covered all adoption fees on the following FEE-WAIVED WEEKENDS: August 9-10, August 23-24, September 6-7, September 20-21, October 4-5, and October 18-19. Come see us on these days and adopt your new family member at no cost!
Our normal adoption process still applies. Adoptions are first-come, first-served. No holds allowed. Only on-site pets are eligible. Browse adoptable pets at rhhumanesociety.org/adopt!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this event?
Every other weekend from August 9 through October 19, the ASPCA is generously sponsoring adoption fees for the pets on-site at Roice-Hurst Humane Society, which means adopters can take home a new pet without having to pay an adoption fee. These fee-waived weekends are part of a nationwide effort by the ASPCA called The Rescue Effect, which aims to increase pet adoptions and in turn, make space in shelters for more pets who need help.
How do I take part in this event?
Come to Roice-Hurst Humane Society at 362 28 Road in Grand Junction, Colorado between the hours of 12pm to 4pm on a participating weekend! Ahead of time, browse our adoptable pets at rhhumanesociety.org/adopt to pick out a few pets you might be interested in meeting, or speak to an adoption counselor for help choosing the right match. If you already have a dog at home and are interested in adopting another dog, feel free to bring them for a meet and greet. At the shelter, an adoption counselor will introduce you to the pet of your choice. If it’s a match, you can complete the adoption process and take home your new pet same-day! Please bring a leash or cat carrier and your ID. Please note that all adoptions are first-come, first-served, and no holds may be placed during this event.
What comes with my adoption?
Your new pet is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed, and comes with thirty days of free pet behavior counseling, a free vet check at a partner veterinarian, customized post-adoption support with Petszel, and a lifetime of love and companionship — a $700+ value at no cost to you during this special!
While adoptions are fee-waived, if you wish, you can still make a donation of any amount to offset the cost of your pet’s care during their time at Roice-Hurst, or to help provide care to the pets still waiting to be chosen! Gifts of any size are appreciated and go a long way. You can make a donation at rhhumanesociety.org/donate.
Why waive fees?
Put simply, fee-waived events help more pets. When the financial barrier to pet ownership is lowered, more pets are adopted, and resources become available for even more pets in need. Our community’s shelters are full, our wait lists are long, and pets need our help now. Over the years, we’ve held many reduced-fee adoption specials with great success, sometimes even resulting in our longest-staying pets heading home after spending months in the shelter!
According to Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s 2025 State of the Shelter Pet Adoption Report, nearly a third of Americans say that the initial cost to adopt or acquire a pet made it difficult to consider pet ownership. These untapped adopters are who we hope to make pet companionship accessible to with this event.
When prospective pet owners can’t afford the adoption fee at a reputable shelter, they may turn to other sources like online forums or acquaintances with unplanned litters, where pets are often not vaccinated, spayed/neutered, or seen by a vet at all. While no pet comes with guarantees, shelter pets receive a level of preventive care, screening, and support that typically isn’t as available through informal channels. By waiving fees, we make a more secure, supported path to fully-vetted pet ownership possible for more people.
Plus, when adopters don’t have to spend money to acquire a pet, they can use their cash to care for the pet and get them set up for success by spending it on essentials like toys, food, bowls, bedding, and vet care.
Don’t waived fees reduce the quality of adopters?
Research says no! Studies by leading animal welfare organizations, including the ASPCA, University of Florida’s Shelter Medicine Program, and Best Friends Animal Society, consistently show that adopted pets are loved and cared for regardless of their adoption fee. An ASPCA study found that pets with waived fees were just as likely to remain in their homes, receive vet care, and be valued by their adopters as pets with a price tag.
Even when fees are waived, Roice-Hurst Humane Society’s normal matchmaking and adoption processes still apply. Our goal with every adoption is to set both the pet and the person up for success, which means professionally pairing pets with adopters whose experience, abilities, lifestyle, and home environment match the individual needs of the animal. Our adoption counselors are trained to screen for potential concerns and help ensure that each adopter is prepared to provide the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear, and the freedom to express normal behavior. If an animal is not an appropriate match for an adopter, we reserve the right to decline an adoption and will instead help both the potential adopter and the pet find a better match.
We are committed to creating positive outcomes for our pets. We spend seven days a week caring for, getting to know, and building bonds with the pets in our care. We are truly invested in their futures and want nothing more than to find them loving, appropriate homes, regardless of their adoption fees.
Do lower fees raise return rates?
As the research study mentioned above noted, waived fees generally do not result in a statistically significant increase in returns. In 2025 thus far, Roice-Hurst Humane Society has held five reduced-fee adoption specials with an average return rate of 4.5% for the pets adopted during those specials. Our average overall return rate this year is 7.4%, which means our reduced-fee animals have actually been returned less frequently than their full-fee counterparts. We are also proud to provide robust post-adoption support with regularly scheduled check-ins as well as through a platform called Petszel, which delivers customized, timely post-adoption tools and reminders to adopters, effectively troubleshooting any issues they may experience with a new pet before they resort to returning them to the shelter. Returns do happen occasionally, regardless of a pet’s adoption fee, but the pet usually comes back with valuable information about their experience in a home that can be used to find a closer match next time.
