The room was pin-drop silent. The cages were totally bare. And for staff members at Summit County Animal Control in Akron, Ohio, the emptiness was the best gift they could’ve asked for.
"There is not a dog or a cat left in the building," the shelter wrote on Facebook over the weekend.
Every single animal had been adopted.
For the past six years, Summit County Animal Control has held an annual adopt-a-thon at its facility. During previous events, there have always been a handful of animals left behind, unable to find homes. But at this year's adopt-a-thon, held on Saturday, that didn't happen.
"The line started at 6:30 in the morning," the shelter’s director, Christine Fatheree, told ABC News. "People brought lounge chairs. By the time we opened at 10, the line was 300 people long."
Within an hour and a half, all 93 animals at the facility had been adopted. The first 50 adoptions were reportedly sponsored by an unnamed elderly couple. According to ABC News, the couple was unable to have pets of their own, but offered an anonymous donation to help out families who can.
"This was definitely a miracle," the shelter said on Facebook of the event's unprecedented success.
Scroll down to read some happy stories of the shelter's recent adoptees and their new humans:
Fatheree, who has served as shelter director for 12 years, told ABC News that she felt "so proud" to have been part of the adoption event.
"It's not like other jobs where things can be put off," she said. "These animals can't wait. They need homes. To know I was a part of this, it is such a good feeling."
There are pets in shelters across the country who need your help. Petfinder, Adopt-A-Pet and the ASPCA can help you rescue the perfect companion from a shelter near you.
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