839 Pets, One Weekend: Inside HSNT’s MEGA Adoption Event
Posted by Ally Patterson
839
Pets adopted in two days
39
Partner shelters
249
Volunteers signed up
North Texas’s Oldest Animal Welfare Group
The Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) has cared for animals in need since 1905, which makes it the oldest animal welfare organization in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. It started as the Fort Worth Humane Society, became the Tarrant County Humane Society in 1910 and took its current name in 1982. Its mission is to save, shelter, protect and advocate for all animals in need in North Texas, and its vision is a community where pets and people save each other.
HSNT runs adoption events all year, but one gets more marketing push than the rest: the annual MEGA Adoption Event. In 2026, HSNT hosted its 11th MEGA event in nine years. The 2025 event found homes for 760 pets with more than 25 shelters taking part. For 2026, the team set a goal of 750 adoptions over two days.
1,000 Pets, 39 Shelters, Two Days
The 2026 event ran Saturday, August 15, and Sunday, August 16, at the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall in Fort Worth. HSNT brought in 39 partner shelters and more than 1,000 adoptable dogs, cats and small animals. Sponsors including NBC 5/Telemundo 39, Petco Love, H-E-B, MetLife and Hollywood Feed backed the weekend, and adoption fees were $25 or less, compared with $250 when adopting directly from the shelter.
An event that size needs people everywhere: scanning passes at the entrance, staffing shelter tables, walking dogs, answering questions and keeping lines moving across two long days. Families with an Early Bird Fast Pass got in at 9 a.m. Saturday, an hour before general admission. HSNT needed enough volunteers on every shift and needed to know early if a shift was coming up short.
Shifts Built Around the Weekend
HSNT has used SignUpGenius for several years, so the volunteer side of MEGA started there. The team mapped out shifts based on what the event needed, built 17 shifts into one sign up and shared the link on Facebook and in emails to their volunteers.
Longtime vetted volunteers and first-timers see the same list of shifts and pick the one that fits, which the team says makes it very user-friendly. Having sign ups for volunteers and the general public in one place keeps everything easy to find.
While sign ups came in, the team watched the sheet. When too many people clustered on the same day and time, they adjusted shifts and slots to spread coverage across the whole weekend.
The biggest time saver came in planning meetings. The team printed the sign up and brought it to the table, so staff could see where volunteers had things covered and where staff needed to step in.
Stage
How it worked
Volunteer recruiting
17 shifts in one SignUpGenius sign up, shared on Facebook and by email
Family registration
Families registered and bought Early Bird Fast Passes through HSNT's event app, with QR codes posted along the line
At the door
Staff and volunteers scanned QR codes, so check-in needed no paper
On the floor
Pets were grouped by shelter, and each shelter processed its own adoptions so its people could speak to each pet's personality
Genius Tip
Check your sign up while it fills. If volunteers stack up on one popular shift, move or add slots early so the slower hours get covered. Print a copy for planning meetings so everyone works from the same list.
839 New Families
The weekend beat its goal by nearly 90 pets. 839 pets went home with new families across the 39 shelters, up from 760 the year before. More than 4,300 people came through the doors, and 249 volunteers signed up through SignUpGenius to help run the floor.
HSNT calls MEGA one of the largest pet adoption events in Texas, and every adoption opens another kennel for the next animal that needs one. For the staff, the best parts were the firsts: first puppies, first adoptions and families who found their pet the moment they walked up to a table.
In Cassie’s Words
Cassie Davidson, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations at HSNT, credits the whole community for the result. “The MEGA Adoption Event is proof of what can happen when an entire community comes together for one purpose: saving lives,” she said. She points to every adopter, volunteer, sponsor and shelter partner as part of giving hundreds of pets a second chance.
The team is already planning the next one for July 2027, under a new name. Before then, HSNT has a Neiman Marcus Doggy in the Window event coming up, with Mayfest and other adoption events on the 2027 calendar.
“The MEGA Adoption Event is proof of what can happen when an entire community comes together for one purpose: saving lives. Every adopter, volunteer, sponsor, shelter partner, and supporter played a role in giving hundreds of pets a second chance, and that impact will be felt for years to come.” Cassie Davidson, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations, Humane Society of North Texas
Staff Your Next Adoption Event
Put every volunteer shift in one sign up, share one link and see where you need more help before the doors open.
SignUpGenius rocks! I use it in a university clinic setting to sign up everything from observations to volunteer time to organizing the department camping and baseball outings. Thank you SignUpGenius.
Posted by Ally Patterson
