Today marks the end of Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, and Marion County Humane Society says there’s been a definite upsurge in adoptions during October.

MaKenna McDonald from the Society tells KNIA/KRLS News they always have a number of pets available, patiently waiting for the right person or family to come adopt them.

“We’ve had quite an amount of animals adopted lately; it’s been really great,” McDonald says. “And actually, today our dog that we’ve had for the longest, for over a year and a half, he got adopted. So that’s fantastic.”

McDonald says there are several advantages to adopting one of their pets over getting one from a pet store or other commercial location. She notes their pets are already spayed or neutered and have received all their inoculations; Marion County Humane Society actually charges less for these services than they’re worth, so a buyer is actually saving money.