JOPLIN, Mo. (KMOX)-If you would like to provide a new home for dogs and cats who lost their families in the Joplin tornado your chance is coming up next weekend.

 The Joplin Humane Society and the ASPCA will be holding an adopt-a-thon June 25 and 26 to find new homes for over 600 pets, who have not been claimed since the May 22 storm.

Joplin Humane Society Executive Director Karen Aquino says it will be first come first choice, but there is a screening process and adoption counselors will make sure the pet fits the family, “We want to ensure long-term placement and a lot of times people will come in and say ‘ohh that’s such a cute little dog’ but it really isn’t a good fit for that family’s lifestyle.”

Aquino says adoption fees are waived and the animals will be spayed/neutered, micro-chippped and vaccinated.

She says the Humane Society has provided emergency sheltering for nearly 1,200 animals.  More than 400 have been reunited with their families, but Aquino says very few people are coming in to look for missing pets, “There’s the same people who continue to come in looking for their pets. But as far as new people coming in, it has really dwindled down to almost no one.”

She adds that this is a good time to  put the remaining animals, up for adoption, “After about a month and a half a lot of animals start deteriorating being crated or caged long-term and right now they’re all still in wonderful mental shape.”

Aquino says in addition to those returned to their owners, and being put up for adoption, the society has about 300 ‘special needs’ pets, those are kittens, puppies and injured animals. She says those wishing to adopt them will have to go through a screening process.

For more information on that process, and the adopt-a-thon, click here.

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