Shelters Hold Pet Free-for-All Jan. 24

Pet shelters across the nation are urging Americans to get on the Obama bandwagon and adopt a pet; as an added incentive, they're dropping regular fee for the first 10 adoptions at each of 300 participating shelters Jan. 24, USA Today reports. Fees for the 3,000 pets will be picked up by Hill's Pet Nutrition, which organized the event.

Shelter workers note that dropping fees doesn't mean they're bypassing screening to make sure pets don't end up in the hands of people who won't or can't take care of them. The number of pets in shelters—usually about 8 million a year—is rising as animals are victims of home foreclosures and tight budgets. (More animal shelters stories.)