Over the past 14 years, Animal Friends’ annual New Years Eve Rescue has been a Pittsburgh tradition—and a last-chance lifeline for lost pets. This year, on Friday, December 30, Animal Friends will once again rescue lost pets who are slated to be euthanized by the years’ end.

On New Years Eve, Friends’ staff and volunteers will travel to local Animal Control facilities to bring back the unclaimed pets who would not otherwise live to see 2012. Then, each rescued pet will be welcomed with open arms at Animal Friends’ resource center, where they will be vaccinated, bathed, groomed, given a comprehensive medical and behavioral evaluation, and scheduled for a spay or neuter surgery.

Pending any necessary rehabilitation, the rescued pets will be available for adoption beginning Monday, January 2.

In the mean time, families are urged to come to Animal Friends to adopt this month, and empty our kennels in preparation for the rescue. Every empty cage represents another life that can be saved.

Rescues like this one are a shining example of why adopting from Animal Friends–all year round—is so critical. For every animal who finds a home through Animal Friends, there are others who desperately await a space and a second chance in our kennels. The rescue also casts a light on the staggering number of pets that are euthanized at animal control facilities every year, simply because they don’t have a license or a tag to lead them back to their families.