04/02/2026
What is one of the biggest barriers to adoption? Being closed on a day of the week when most people are off work. 🗓️
So, when the Mohave County Animal Shelter analyzed the fact that they were closed on Sundays, they didn’t accept it as a fixed limitation. Instead, through partnership with Friends of Mohave County Animal Shelter and support from the Best Friends’ Bring Love Home Challenge, they created a solution.
To remove that adoption barrier, they added Sunday adoption events at a local PetSmart. The result? A 178% increase (yes, you read that correctly) in adoptions year over year! But that wasn’t all. The community was beyond excited, showing up an hour before the events started, just to adopt a pet.
And as if that is not exciting enough, long-stay pets like Jack were finally getting noticed. Jack had been at the shelter for seven months and was continuously overlooked. But all it took was attending a Sunday adoption event for his family to be able to meet him. An event that was not possible until Mohave County Animal Shelter looked internally on how to reach more of their community and increase adoptions.
This is what happens when you open access to adoption and meet the community where they are. The community feels supported and lives are saved. Sometimes lifesaving doesn’t require new buildings or large-scale expansion. Sometimes it requires removing friction and being responsive to the community’s needs. 👏
