Give them a home for the holidays

As holiday shoppers roam the city in search of presents for their loved ones, they can also include their furry, four-legged friends on their shopping adventures at several locations this weekend.

The Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter will hold its annual “Home for the Holidays” event to match its cats and dogs with new foster homes on Saturday from 9 a.m. until noon.

The event held at the shelter, 934 Highway 3185 in Thibodaux, allows families to foster pets during the holidays when they are likely to spend more time at home and actually enjoy the company of a pet.

Last year’s event brought about the successful fostering of approximately 30 animals. There are approximately 20 cats and five dogs available for foster parents this year.

Animals have the opportunity to meet and greet their foster parents and can be taken home the day of the event. For those who have to make preparations for their new furry friends at home, the last day to pick up foster animals chosen at the event is Dec. 20.

All potential foster homes are required to fill out a foster/adoption application and leave a deposit, which also serves as an adoption fee. Deposit fees are $15 for a male cat, $25 for a female cat, $30 for a male dog and $35 for a female dog. All fees will be returned on Jan. 6 if foster families decide not to keep their selected animals for adoption.

The Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and is closed on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

“Home for the Holidays” allows the shelter to open during the weekend for people who are busy during the week, but remain interested in fostering or adopting a pet.

Hope for Animals, a nonprofit animal shelter in Thibodaux, will also host an adoption and photo with Santa event on Saturday at Tractor Supply Co., 3827 W. Park Ave. in Gray, from 2 until 6 p.m.

Hope for Animals has more than 50 dogs available for foster homes and adoption, some of which will be present at Saturday’s event.

“We’re always really careful about who we foster to, especially during this time of year,” Ruth Chiasson, president of Hope for Animals, said. “We don’t want people to do things at the spur of the moment and change their minds six months later.”

The shelter also has 80 cats available for foster homes and adoption, and potential owners can view both dog and cat profiles on their website at HopeforAnimals.com.

The cost for photos of your furry loved ones is $10 for one print and a digital file. All proceeds will benefit local animal shelters.

Pets in Terrebonne Parish will also have the opportunity to have their picture taken with Santa at PetSmart, 1743 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Houma, on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

The Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter will also be there with animals in search of new foster homes.

Valerie Robinson, Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter manager, said whether someone is considering a pet for the holidays or at any time during the year, it is important to understand the commitment that comes along with the animal.

“Acquiring an animal is a lifetime commitment that spans the lifetime of that animal,” Robinson said. “There has to be someone ready to care for it, take it to the vet and do all of those necessary things.”

Anyone wishing to find a larger selection of animals than what will be available at Saturday’s event can stop by the Terrebonne Parish Animal Shelter, 131 Plant Road in Houma, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.