B97 airs promotion for stray animals to drive holiday adoptions

The classic song “The 12 Days of Christmas” might only feature birds, but the City of Bloomington Animal Shelter’s version of the carol is geared toward dogs and cats.

B97 FM and the Animal Shelter are hosting their third annual “12 Strays of Christmas” promotion in an effort to advocate animal adoption during the holiday season. 

“The ‘12 Strays of Christmas’ is a relatively new promotion that is a result of our long-standing commitment to supporting the shelter,” said station Vice President Sandy Zehr.

Until Dec. 23, the station will highlight one cat and one dog each day on its Web site. An animal shelter staff member will call in live to discuss the animals, promote animal adoption and provide information on the shelter’s services.

B97’s Program Director Brandon Scott said listeners look forward to the promotion this time of year.

“They absolutely love it,” he said. “One of the things we hear from listeners when the holidays come around is ‘Are you guys going to do the “12 Strays of Christmas” this year?’”

During the holiday season, many of the animals at the shelter are available at half price. According to Animal Shelter Director Laurie Ringquist, the shelter receives an increase in adoptions around the holiday season.

Some of the dogs and cats that are a part of the “12 Strays of Christmas” initiative have been at the station for months, a few of the animals with special needs. Many of the animals come from homes where their previous owners were not allowed to keep pets.

“We look at those who have been here the longest and want to get them a home for the holidays,” Ringquist said.

The promotion is a part of the City of Bloomington’s “Be Bloomington” campaign, a year-long effort that breaks the calendar year up into four quarters, each focusing on a different aspect of the community. This quarter’s theme is “Be Involved,” and Danny Lopez, the City of Bloomington’s communications director, hopes the community participates in this promotion to help out Bloomington’s animal population.

“We’re hoping to get the word out on animals,” he said. “These animals need loving homes.”

In previous years, the promotion has been successful in informing the community about the shelter and its animals, as well as giving new homes to the city’s dogs and cats.

For more information or to see pictures of the “12 Strays of Christmas” animals, visit www.wbwb.com.

“Every single animal we featured last year got adopted,” Scott said. “We’re hoping it happens again this year.”