Minneapolis residents looking to adopt a pet are no longer required to make an appointment before visiting the city’s animal shelter.
The City of Minneapolis announced the new Animal Care and Control policy Thursday, ending a requirement that was first implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It comes as Minneapolis Animal Control deals with serious capacity issues, prompting it to waive adoption fees and issue an urgent call for adoptees last week as it has “extremely high number of dogs and cats” currently in its shelter and its foster homes.
Now that the appointment requirement has been lifted, those interested in adopting a pet can visit Animal Care and Control without a prior appointment. The shelter is located at 212 17th Ave. N. and is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Despite the appointment requirement, 2022 proved to be a record year for adoptions at Animal Care and Control, with around 900 pets getting new homes last year.
And Minneapolis isn’t alone in seeing a boom of pet adoptions in the past few years. According to a 2021 report from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, one in five U.S. households adopted a dog or cat since the beginning of the pandemic.