April 30 is nationally recognized as “Adopt a Shelter Pet Day.”

The Vicksburg Post celebrated the day by running two full pages with photos of cats, dogs and even chickens up for adoption at The Vicksburg Animal Shelter, The Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society and PAWS Rescue.

The full color pages were filled with furry friends, all looking for a forever home.

The animals up for adoption come in all ages, shapes, colors and sizes. There are some that must be adopted together, and others who need to find a home where they will be the only four-legged creature living inside.

There are older dogs that have already been house trained and spayed or neutered. There are cute and mischievous puppies and kittens that will require much attention and training.

Whether a dog, cat, horse or even a guinea pig, we encourage readers looking to add a pet to their family to consider adopting from one of our local shelters.

Adopting a shelter pet just makes sense. There simply aren’t enough homes for all the animals that are born every year. Adopting a shelter pet not only saves the life of the pet you adopt, but also makes room for the next animal that needs to come to the shelter.

If you missed yesterday’s edition of The Vicksburg Post, come by our office to pick up a copy of the Adopt A Pet pages or visit our Facebook page to view an electronic PDF.

Last year, the Adopt A Pet page helped two Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society horses find their forever homes. We hope more furry friends find their families through sharing the page this year.

A special thanks to the people and businesses that sponsored the printing of the Adopt A Pet pages this year: The City of Vicksburg, Kim Steen – Coldwell Banker, Big River Shipbuilders, Peoples Drug Store, District Attorney Ricky Smith, ServPro, Robyn Lea – State Farm, Vicksburg Video, HealthSource Chiropractic, Maynord Landscaping, Mutual Credit Union, International Paper, The Cinnamon Tree, The LOFTS at First National, Super Junior, Billy’s Italian Restaurant, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Animal Medical Clinic, Medical Associates and Magnolia Jewelers.

The Vicksburg Animal Shelter can be reached at 601-636-6982. The Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society can be reached at 601-636-6631, and PAWS Rescue can be reached by email at leigh@pawsrescuepets.org.