For those interested in a pet, the six animal shelters in the Silicon Valley are holding an adoption special this month. The shelters created "Shelters First," a campaign to encourage pet-loving households to choose their next pet from one of their locations.

With the adoption special, adoption fees for adult animals are $12. Regular prices apply to puppies and other baby animals.

All of the Silicon Valley shelters are currently overcrowded with animals. The animals need a stable home, said Beth Ward, the chief operating officer at Humane Society Silicon Valley.

"Our shelters are beautiful, but they're not homes," she said. "Our volunteers and staff are warm and wonderful, but they're not the same as a permanent, loving family."

Temporary solutions to the flood of homeless pets include transferring animals between shelters, moving them to foster care homes, or healing and training them so they are more adoptable.

Albert Escobar, program manager of Santa Clara County Animal Care and Control, said that "Shelters First" is trying to get 5 percent more pet owners to adopt from their shelters.

"That will put thousands more animals in loving homes -- and forever eliminate shelter overcrowding," he said.

Go to the Shelters First website for more information about adopting a pet, or call the Humane Society Silicon Valley at 408-262-2133.

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