Veterans Day is coming up, and the City of Aurora is giving former military personnel the chance to make new friends.
Aurora’s Animal Care and Control Division is giving military veterans a chance to adopt a dog or cat once every two years. The adoption fee will be waived.
Jon Zaghloul, the city’s communication manager, said this program will help put more dogs and cats into good homes but it will also benefit veterans.
“It helps out those who could use some emotional support,” he said, "[be a] stress reducer, [and] eliminate some financial barriers too, with the adoption fee. So, it's really an all-around great program.”
He said the idea for the program came from Kameron DeBoer, the animal control manager.
“Huge credit to Aurora Animal Care and Control,” he said. “To bring together the opportunity to rehome animals into an environment that they're going to be loved in with veterans who are ready to love an animal.”
Pets for Vets is ongoing and doesn’t stop after the holiday.
Veterans must show a valid driver’s license or state ID with their veteran status on it. They can also show an official DD214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty along with an Illinois driver’s license.
