Friday, May 15, 2026 - Sunday, May 17, 2026
All Day
Itʻs the last weekend of the BISSELL Pet Foundation and Cathy Bissell’s Empty the Shelters Nationwide Adoption Event and we’re ending with 100% waived adoption fees for all dogs, and 50% off adoption fees for cats and small animals.
Find your new best friend at both our Mōʻiliʻili Campus, Kosasa Family Campus at Hoʻopili, select Oʻahu Petco locations and off-site adoption events. Our shelters are at critical capacity with over 900 animals in care across both of our campuses and off-site locations. Welcoming a new member to your ʻohana opens a kennel for a vulnerable animal in need of our help.
Adoption specials like these remove financial barriers while encouraging our community to consider adoption as their first option. With pets ranging from furry companions to shelled and scaled friends, adopters can thoughtfully consider their lifestyle and find the perfect match for them.
Click the button below to see all of the pets waiting for loving homes at the Hawaiian Humane Society.
Did you know?
The average cost to provide the level of care and services that we offer each adoptable animal in our care is approximately $560, which varies widely depending on the needs of each specific animal. This can range from routine vaccinations, heartworm testing for dogs and FELV/FIV testing for cats, flea/tick/heartworm preventatives, medical and behavioral evaluations and spay/neuter surgery to complex emergency veterinary procedures and recovery.
Can’t commit to adopting?
There are ways you can support our community, alleviate shelter space constraints, and help animals in need by being a Couch Crasher or Lap Crasher family or fostering, volunteering, donating, promoting spay/neuter initiatives, or, if you or someone you know are faced with the difficult decision to surrender a pet, consider the rehoming resources available on our website, like Home to Home.
What’s the value of hosting an adoption special?
Adoption specials offer incentives to promote pet adoption, allow us to spotlight long-stay pets/fosters, reduce barriers to pet ownership, and create more space in overcrowded shelters for vulnerable pets who need us most. Contrary to common misconception, research and published studies indicate that the cost of adoption is not a factor when it comes to responsible pet ownership and a family’s ability to afford a pet long-term. In fact, there is no statistical difference in pet retention or the ability to cover necessary veterinary care for adopted pets between paid fee or fee-waived adopters.
Why Does Hawaiian Humane Support an Open Adoption Policy?
At Hawaiian Humane, we believe that supporting animals getting into loving homes quickly is one of the most important things we can do for their well-being. Our adoption process is grounded in evidence, not gatekeeping. Research from leading national organizations consistently shows that restrictive screening requirements do not produce better outcomes for animals. What they do is keep animals in shelters longer, and create barriers that disproportionately affect renters, families and people who are just as capable of providing wonderful homes.
We also know that the cost of adoption is not a predictor of long-term commitment. There is no statistical difference in pet care or retention between adopters who pay a fee and those who do not. When we offer adoption specials, it is because the research supports it and because more animals deserve the chance to be home.
Our relationship with every animal we place does not end at adoption. We are here as a resource for the life of that animal.
To learn more about the research behind open adoption practices, visit Best Friends Animal Society, ASPCApro, and the Humane World for Animals.
