SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Dakin Humane Society is one of many animal welfare agencies that will have several guinea pigs available for adoption this weekend as part of a "Guinea Pig Adopt-A-Thon" collaboration event.

Last month, the City of Boston voted to ban the sale of guinea pigs in pet shops across the city in order to better support adoptions from animal shelters.

"They and we have seen a lot of guinea pigs come into our care recently," said Dakin Humane Society media relations & development specialist Lee Chambers. "They're not going home as quickly as we'd like them to, and this event was put together to promote guinea pigs getting homes. So for these two days at Dakin, we're waiving the adoption fees for guinea pig adoptions."

Chambers said guinea pigs can be ideal pets especially for families with young children. She said they can also be a good alternative for people who maybe interested in adopting, but less comfortable committing to a larger animal.

"If they don't want to necessarily make the commitment to a dog or a cat and they want to have a smaller pet, guinea pigs are good because they're interactive pets and lot of them are interactive and friendly with all members of the family," Chambers said, "They're easier to handle for kids than a smaller pet, like maybe a gerbil or a hamster."

Chambers said part of the reason the number of guinea pigs at animal shelters has gone up is because pet stores would often misgender the animals which lead to unexpected litters being born, and the growing numbers became overwhelming for families.

She said it is vital for guinea pigs to have permanent homes for the best possible care.

"Any pet is going to do better in a home than in the shelters that have the best accommodations and the best staff, as we feel we have here at Dakin," Chambers said. "But of course a home is a home, and you want any pet to be in a home with their family."

The event will run Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.