Petco Love Pick Me! SC Reaches 15,000 Adoption Milestone in South Carolina

More than 90 organizations and Petco locations participated in the 8th annual statewide adoption event!

SOUTH CAROLINA – Over the course of just 10 days, an incredible 2,416 dogs and cats found loving homes during this year’s Petco Love Pick Me! SC statewide adoption event — bringing the total number of lives saved through the initiative and adoptions to more than 15,000 over the past eight years.

“This event continues to be a statewide movement,” said Abigail Appleton, PMP, CAWA, No Kill South Carolina Project Officer with Charleston Animal Society. “To know that 15,452 pets are now in loving homes thanks to this project is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we work together.”

From June 20–29, every region of South Carolina took part in the lifesaving event, with 91 animal shelters, rescue groups, and Petco locations coming together to create thousands of pet adoption success stories. Families from the Lowcountry to the Upstate opened their hearts and homes, taking advantage of free and low-fee adoptions offered statewide.

“We went into the event with dogs in crates lining our back hallway and so many kittens. We are coming out of it slightly exhausted but with a new sense of hope,” said Allison LaBorde of the SPCA Albrecht Center,

Charleston Animal Society’s No Kill South Carolina initiative, in partnership with Petco Love, powers this annual event to help reduce overcrowding in shelters and shine a spotlight on the thousands of amazing pets waiting to be adopted.

SHELTER SUCCESS STORIES

• Darlington Humane Society saw American Idol Contestant Preston Duffee come in to visit and he left with a new best friend named Ranger. 
• Barnwell County Animal Shelter exceeded their own expectations with 13 cat and 5 dog adoptions. They also microchipped 8 dogs.
• Charleston Animal Society showed a 29% increase in adoptions over the same period last year. 
• At the SPCA Albrecht Center, 3 formerly-malnourished cats rescued from neglect cases, a blind and diabetic cat, and the shelter’s most senior dogs all found homes.
• When Columbia Animal Services received an unexpectedly high number of intakes and several shelter areas closed due to roof repairs, shelter staff feared they would be forced to euthanize pets to make space. But so many adopters stepped up that every pet life was saved.

“This is the kind of impact we strive for – finding loving homes for thousands of adoptable pets,” said Petco Love President, Susanne Kogut. “Every pet adopted is a life saved, and Petco Love Pick Me! SC proves what’s possible when we come together with communities and shelters with one mission: love and lifesaving.”

SPAY NEUTER WEEK RECORD

In addition to adoption specials, the Simon Greer Mobile Spay-Neuter Clinic from Charleston Animal Society traveled the state during the event, providing hundreds of pets with spay/neuter surgeries, microchips, and vaccinations to ensure they were adoption-ready. “This year our team accomplished a record 334 spay-neuter surgeries from shelters in seven different counties,” Appleton said.

Petco locations across South Carolina played a vital role by hosting adoption events and providing new pet families with everything they need—from food and leashes to beds and toys—to get off to a great start.

While the event may be over for this year, the challenge of finding homes for pets this summer continues. “Every shelter in the state continues to operate over-capacity. Summer is always the most challenging time of year, but it truly is the best time of year to adopt, because you and your family will have more time to bond with your new pet,” said Appleton.

About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999, we’ve empowered animal welfare organizations by investing nearly $421 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We’ve helped find loving homes for more than 7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Join us. Visit PetcoLove.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.

About No Kill South Carolina
Led by Charleston Animal Society and powered by Petco Love, No Kill South Carolina has saved over 890,000 animal lives since 2015 by reducing euthanasia rates and promoting adoption and spay-neuter programs. In 2024, South Carolina became a No Kill State, because of the efforts of No Kill South Carolina. Visit NoKillSouthCarolina.org 

About Charleston Animal Society
Since 1874, the mission of Charleston Animal Society has always been the prevention of cruelty to animals.  Recognized as an international model of lifesaving success, the Animal Society focuses on three impacts: ending the unnecessary euthanasia, overpopulation, and cruelty of animals.  Last year, the Animal Society cared for over 35,000 animals, spayed or neutered over 15,000 animals, adopted over 5,000 animals, and taught compassion to over 11,000 children. As South Carolina’s largest lifesaving organization, animal organizations from across the state and beyond seek guidance and support from the Animal Society, whose guiding principle is that it has a disproportionate responsibility to others; if there is an animal in need anywhere that the Animal Society can impact, it will.  With 13 consecutive years of exemplary independent financial audits, the Animal Society remains the top-rated nonprofit organization in South Carolina. For more information, visit CharlestonAnimalSociety.org. 

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