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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control looks to connect area veterans with shelter animals
New partnership offers discounted adoption rates for qualified veterans
Jul. 4, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Jul. 4, 2025 7:45 am
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Area veterans are now able to get a discounted adoption fee through Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control thanks to a new partnership with a national nonprofit.
The city-run shelter recently partnered with Pets for Patriots, a nationwide charity that provides U.S. veterans with financial assistance to acquire and care for companion animals. Through the partnership, veterans can receive discounted adoption rates and additional animal care resources.
“We’re really excited to open the door to people who maybe haven’t thought about what a pet can do for them,” said Animal Care & Control Assistant Manager Lauren Hopkins. Our veterans “are really important to us, and we want to be able to show our support in any way we can.”
Hopkins, whose husband is a retired U.S. Marine, said she found Pets for Patriots while researching potential ways to connect her passions for animal welfare and veteran support. She reached out to the nonprofit, and the partnership was formally launched in late spring.
The program is open to veterans from World War II all the way through those still on active duty. Interested veterans apply through the Pets for Patriots website, and their interest is then flagged for review by Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control staff.
Hopkins stressed that veterans do not have to have a specific animal in mind to apply, meaning they can put in an application and then stop by the shelter to meet potential adoptees.
“They don’t have to know right away,” she said. “If they know they’re in the market for a pet, they can fill everything out, get that approval ready and then start to come in and meet the different animals until they find the one that’s perfect for them or their family.”
Qualified veterans get the discounted adoption rate of $25 per animal through Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control, as well as a welcome kit from Pets for Patriots to help acclimate the animal to its new home.
The program aims to connect veterans with animals who might otherwise be overlooked, she added, meaning the discounted adoption rate can be used for dogs and cats over 2 years of age, or those with special needs and/or those with particularly long shelter stays.
The program has yet to yield its first adoption, although Hopkins expressed optimism that would change as more people learn about the Pets for Patriots partnership. For more information or application materials, visit petsforpatriots.org/.
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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