Pictured: Brianna Bibb, Sheila Wilson, Anthony Herzog, Austin York.

The Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSSC) has received a very generous gift from Sun N Fun RV Resort to be the program sponsor for the Pets for Vets Program for the next 12 months. This program gives our military veterans and their families the greatest "thank you" of all: the extraordinary love of a companion pet. HSSC believes in harnessing the healing powers of the human-animal bond to help veterans. Companion animals can reduce stress and anxiety levels, mitigate depression, ease social reintegration, provide comfort, and restore confidence in affected veterans.

"The Pets for Vets program waives the adoption fee for all active-duty and veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces when they adopt a companion animal from HSSC," said Anna Gonce, executive director of HSSC. "We are extremely grateful for Sun N Fun Resort's kindness and compassion for our veterans and our community." Sun N Fun’s Sponsorship will cover around 100 adoptions for local service members in our community for the next 12 months.

“We are extremely excited for this new partnership and humbled by the ability to give back to the service men and women in our community. Together with HSSC, we hope to provide many of our local heroes with a new family member that could have a great impact on their lives. We hope that this opportunity will encourage those in need to look into adoption. We will be collecting donations from our guests at the resort on a day-to-day basis to support veterans with food, toys, and other supplies, even after adoption. Thank you to HSSC for providing us with this opportunity. We look forward to a successful Pets for Vets Program,” said Anthony Herzog of Sun N Fun RV Resort.

Veterans wishing to adopt can visit hssc.org/pets/pet-adoptions for a real-time list of adoptable dogs and cats. Service members simply need to show proof of military service at the time of adoption.

Pictured: Brianna Bibb, Sheila Wilson, Anthony Herzog, Austin York.