More than 300 dogs and cats have been adopted or reunited with their families since the beginning of December, and the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs wants hundreds more to find a home for the holidays.

As of Monday, 104 cats and 163 dogs had been adopted this month, and nine cats and 63 dogs had been reunited with their families, Humane Society spokeswoman Gretchen Pressley said.

Kat Barrett plays with an adoptable cat at the Humane Society Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. Photo Credit: Kelsey Brunner, The Gazette

“It’s always a happy occasion, whether an adoption or a reunion,” Pressley said.

For every animal adopted during the agency’s annual December adoption promotion, which runs through Dec. 24, Status Symbol Auto Body and Dent-Tec each will donate $25 to the shelter’s programs, including veterinarian care.

Each adoption is commemorated with an ornament hung on the Humane Society’s Christmas Tree or taped to the adjacent wall.

A Christmas tree sits in the hallway at the Humane Society Pikes Peak Region decorated with ornaments representing adopted and reunited pets in Colorado Springs on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. (Photo by Kelsey Brunner/The Gazette)

Previously, the local businesses subsidized adoption costs for families. But in learning how far the agency goes to help animals waiting to be adopted, Debbie Colgrove of Dent-Tec said she reconsidered how they should open their wallets.

“The Humane Society does so many things that the public doesn’t realize to rehab a cat or dog before adoption,” she said. “If an animal is not injured, it costs about $400 to prepare them for adoption. That’s a lot when they add up.”

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Colgrove and her husband, Bill, adopted a flat-coated retriever-mix named Bear at the shelter’s annual Fur Ball and fell in love. At first, Bear was the “neediest” dog and couldn’t be left alone, but he’s always “such a sweetheart,” Colgrove said.

“He’s been one of the best things we’ve ever had,” she said of the 4½-month-old pup. “The love that you get from a dog, you can’t find anywhere else.”

Community Relations Manager, Gretchen Pressley gives love to an adoptable dog at the Humane Society Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs. Photo Credit: Kelsey Brunner, The Gazette

Cindy Jensen of Status Symbol Autobody said she has “a soft spot for the gray faces.” She has a 13-year-old black lab, 10-year-old golden retriever-mix and a 7-year-old boxer-mix.

“My husband and I tend to rescue older dogs because oftentimes the older ones get looked over in favor of puppies,” she said. “They have so much love to give.”

The Humane Society reports it paired or reunited about 800 animals with families in 2018.

For more information, visit hsppr.org.