No adoption fees Saturday at Fairfax County Animal Shelter

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If you’ve been thinking about adopting a pet, Saturday is a good day to finally do it.

The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is waving adoption fees for all animals on Aug. 13 as part of their Dog Days of Summer Adoption Event. Missy’s Farm Rescue & Sanctuary is sponsoring the event in conjunction with Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

The shelter is located at 4500 West Ox Rd, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. You can view adoptable pets here.

Adoption fees typically range between $5 (small animals) and $175 (dogs younger than six months). You must be 18 or older to adopt, and must have current rabies vaccines for any other cats and/or dogs in your household, as well as proof of a license for currently owned dogs.

Dog attacks reported

The adoption event comes on the heels of allegations of unsafe practices at the county shelter. WUSA9 reported yesterday that the facility may have allowed potentially dangerous dogs on their adoption floor, and said that five shelter employees have been bitten by dogs in the past year.

Another WUSA9 report said that a pit bull adopted from the shelter had recently killed another dog and mauled the dog’s owner.

Fairfax County Police Chief Ed Roessler told WUSA9 that an administrative investigation into the practices of the shelter was underway.

“The policies are there. They need to be followed,” Roessler told WUSA9. “My number one priority is the safety of all humans and all animals and that’s the paramount drive here.”