SALISBURY — For the first time in the Rowan County Animal Shelter’s history, all of the dogs and cats living in its facilities were fed a Christmas Eve dinner as a treat during the holidays. Volunteers with Shelter Guardians and the shelter itself came together to give the animals treats, toys and a full meal.

The event itself was made possible by donations given to Shelter Guardians, said Animal Services Director Maria Pannell. In the weeks leading up to the event, Shelter Guardians put out a call for toys, treats, monetary donations or anything else that could help with the dinner. By the time the event was finished, the organization announced that they had enough money left over that they purchased two raised beds for the animals and donated them to the shelter.

The event began at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, when volunteers began to show up and set the table in preparation for the dinner, Pannell said. After that, the volunteers began to walk through the dog kennels and gave all of the dogs their meals. The cats were up next, and when all the cats had eaten all of the animals were given toys filled with peanut butter or treats as a dessert.

“It was great. We had Christmas music going the whole time, we had Christmas lights up throughout the building. It was a lot of fun,” Pannell said.

The event came as the shelter wound down a month-long adoption discount event, just the second the shelter has ever had. The first was held in September, and Pannell reported that the adoption numbers were increased by 21, from 368 total adoptions in 2022 to 387 in 2023. Despite the relatively low increase in adoption rate, which was still significantly increased when compared to 2021 and years prior, she said that the real benefit in a month-long event was the fact that adoptions were spread throughout the entire month.

“The real benefit to the shelter for month-long reduced-price events is that adoptions become more evenly spread across an entire month, allowing for a better-balanced animal population and fewer animals put at risk due to a lack of kennel space. These events are also very helpful to our rescue community and private adopters who can use the cost savings toward pet food, training and any additional resources that the pet may need in the future,” Pannell said in an email.