Looking for a furry friend? Minneapolis animal shelter waives adoption fees for residents

The Minneapolis animal shelter is permanently waiving adoption fees for city residents to encourage more pet adoptions.

The shelter run by Minneapolis Animal Care and Control (MACC) is at capacity, with about 80 animals at the building and 30 more with foster families. MACC staff said they are seeing more pets coming into the shelter than leaving.

Some people who purchased dogs or cats during the pandemic can no longer take care of them after heading back to work, leaving the facility overwhelmed at times, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said at a news conference Tuesday.

Now, Minneapolis residents can help solve the problem, Frey said.

"If you're a Minneapolis resident, you can get a dog or a cat for free. You can pick one up to become a part of your family," he said. The mayor cited his own experience adopting a cat named Ronda from Minneapolis Animal Care.

Frey also announced $600,000 in funding for animal care technicians, customer service representatives, supplies, food and maintenance at the facility.

"We have seen an increase in cases and neglect cases and abuse and it's taking a toll. We have to be able to respond," Regulatory Services Director Enrique Velazquez said.

The shelter will be able to hire four new staff members to restore Saturday hours, Velazquez said, with a goal of making pets more accessible to busy families.

Minneapolis residents need only purchase a pet license to adopt pets 7 months and older. For non-residents, adoption fees have been reduced to $100 for dogs and $25 for cats. Fees have also been reduced for birds and other small animals.

Walk-in adoptions are available 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays.

"You can become part of the solution by coming in, making a new dog or cat part of your family and making sure that furry friends throughout our city are cared for and loved," Frey said.