DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Some pet parents adopting dogs in Volusia County won't have to pay the fees that come with them. And it's all thanks to a very generous donor -- and some cryptocurrency.
In a Facebook post over the weekend, Halifax Humane Society in Daytona Beach said the donor, referred to as "Doge Community," paid the adoption fees for all of the dogs that were available at the time of the donation.
Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency based on the "Doge" meme featuring the face of a Shiba Inu dog. Created as a joke in 2013, the cryptocurrency had never hit $0.01 until Jan. 2 of this year. Since then, it has skyrocketed and the price has soared more than 400% in the past week alone.
This donation is a huge saving for future pet parents. Halifax Humane Society says most dogs five years and younger normally have a $70 adoption fee. Most older dogs come with a $35 fee.
The donation also comes as fewer people adopt dogs during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from PetPoint, dog adoptions from shelters dropped by 19% from October 2019 to October 2020. Some shelters have reported being filled to capacity with rescue animals and those turned in because their owners could no longer care for them.
What other people are reading right now:
- How long does protection from COVID-19 vaccines last?
- Gov. DeSantis sued in federal court over Florida's new 'anti-riot' law
- Perseverance rover extracts oxygen from Mars atmosphere for 1st time
- How long will Derek Chauvin go to prison for George Floyd's murder?
- Here's how to watch NASA, SpaceX's Crew-2 launch
- How to celebrate Earth Day 2021 around Tampa Bay
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter