Secret Santas contributed $3,700 to sponsor 62 free pet adoptions at the Catoosa County Animal Shelter in Ringgold, officials announced this week.

The one-time sponsorship, disclosed by Catoosa County Animal Control, was timed to the Christmas holiday and intended to reduce the financial barriers prospective owners face when adopting a pet, interim shelter director Dylan McCollum said. The county’s announcement listed McCollum and county public information officer John Pless, and directed interested adopters to the shelter at 101 Allmond Trail in Ringgold.

“We are grateful for the community funding because they are supporting our mission to give wayward and unwanted pets a second chance at being part of a loving family,” McCollum said in the county statement. He added the sponsorship was meant to remove cost barriers, saying, “By lowering the financial barrier to pet adoption we want everyone who wants to be a responsible pet owner to experience the joy the Christmas season brings.”

The donations covered adoption fees for a capped number of animals the office announced in its release. County animal control, which manages intake, care and the adoption process at the Ringgold facility, said the contributions were provided anonymously and posted a public thank-you on its official channels. Local reporting on the effort, including coverage by WDEF, referred to the contributors as Secret Santas while noting the county’s public post.

The shelter planned to close for the Christmas holiday on Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Thursday, Dec. 25, and to reopen Friday, Dec. 26, county officials said. The sponsorship was meant to make it easier for potential adopters to complete adoptions when the shelter resumed operations after the holiday, and staff encouraged community members to consider adoption opportunities supported by the anonymous gift.

Officials said the sponsorship had an immediate operational effect: it allowed shelter staff to finalize adoptions without collecting fees for the designated number of animals and to prioritize matching pets with permanent homes. The county’s animal control office handles routine intake, veterinary triage and placement services at the facility, coordinating transfers and public adoption events when space allows.

Effective ways for individuals to support local animal shelters include donating money or supplies (food, toys, blankets and cleaning items), volunteering for animal care or administrative tasks, fostering pets to free up shelter space, and promoting the shelter’s animals to increase their chances of finding homes.

The county’s public notice and local coverage thanked the anonymous donors and urged residents to consider adoption or other forms of support as the shelter resumed regular hours after Christmas. For more information, the county referenced its official news post and provided a link to local media coverage for those seeking additional details.

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Original reporting: view the original article.