Midcoast Humane will host its annual Home for the Holidays special adoption event on Dec. 15 and 16 at the shelter’s Brunswick Campus at 30 Range Road. The adoption event will feature over four dozen puppies, as well as kittens, dogs, cats, and small animals for adoption. The event will be held Saturday, Dec. 15 from noon-6 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 16 from noon-4 p.m.

Animals will also be available for adoption at the Animal House at 15 Coastal Marketplace in Damariscotta on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Beginning Dec. 15, the shelter will allow extended holds on pets through Christmas Eve to help parents surprise children with a new furry family member. This is the fifth consecutive year the shelter is hosting its Home for the Holidays event with the option of extended holds. The small fee associated with the holds goes back to the shelter to care for the approximately 340 animals that are in our care every day.

A “sneak peek” of the puppies will be posted on Midcoast Humane’s Facebook page two days before the event at Facebook.com/midcoasthumane.

A new pet is a wonderful addition to a family for the holidays, but Midcoast Humane officials caution that pets are not for gifts outside of the immediate family. An animal intended as a gift should be under the direct care of the person choosing the animal, or in other words, the adopter must be one of the primary caregivers of the animal. Otherwise the pet could be given to someone who doesn’t necessarily want a pet or isn’t prepared to own a pet. For more information, visit midcoasthumane.org/petsasgifts.

Midcoast Humane also offers adoption gift certificates, which are available for purchase at its Brunswick campus on Range Road. For more information about the incoming animals, hours, or additional event details, please call 725-5051 or visit midcoasthumane.org