Winchester Area SPCA Joins BISSELL Pet Foundation to Bring Holiday Hope to Shelter Pets During Empty the Shelters® in December

BISSELL Pet Foundation, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending pet homelessness, is bringing holiday hope to homeless pets across the country with its Empty the Shelters® – Holiday Hope reduced-fee adoption event, taking place December 1–15, 2025.

The Winchester Area SPCA will participate in the nationwide event to help deserving shelter pets find loving homes. During this time, BISSELL Pet Foundation sponsors reduced adoption fees of $70 or less per cat or dog to make adoption more affordable this holiday season.

• The WASPCA will participate December 2–14 at 111 Featherbed Lane offering $70 adoption fees for all pets.
• The WASPCA is open Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday-Sunday 12pm-5pm
• Visit winchesterspca.org for details, and to view adoptable pets.

“This year has placed enormous pressure on shelters across the country, as more families face financial hardship and housing changes that force them to surrender beloved pets,” said Cathy Bissell, Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. “If you’re considering adding a pet to your family, adoption has so many benefits. Shelters have desirable pets of every size and age—many who have lived in homes, are house-trained, already spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and ready to become part of your family—all for a fraction of the cost of buying from a breeder or pet store. Our Empty the Shelters Holiday Hope event is a chance for all of us to end the year by giving shelter pets what they deserve most—a loving home.”

“The staff and pets at the WASPCA are very grateful for the Bissell Pet Foundation National Empty the Shelter event. This event allows us to adopt many pets every year, thanks to the reduction in adoption fees made possible by the Bissell Pet Foundation. All adoptable pets at the WASPCA are spayed or neutered, up to date on age-appropriate shots, and are microchipped,” said Stacy Leach, Adoption Operations Manager of the Winchester Area SPCA.

Empty the Shelters is the nation’s largest funded adoption event and has helped more than 374,000 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.