Someone who wants to adopt a dog or cat from the Gaston County Animal Shelter typically has to bring not just a full heart, but a full wallet.

Adoption fees at the Dallas facility normally run as high as $90. But during a special nationwide adoption drive Saturday, that fee will drop to $10 per pet.

"Hopefully this will be great event and we can get lot of these animals into great homes," said Dr. Kristine Blankenship, executive director of Gaston County Animal Care and Enforcement.

During last year's inaugural Clear the Shelters event, nearly 20,000 pets were adopted from participating shelters across the United States. NBC Universal, which organized the promotion, said its goal was to inspire local communities to take action and open their homes to animals in need.

As of Wednesday, 46 cats and kittens and 35 dogs and puppies were eligible for adoption at the Gaston shelter, and Blankenship expects many of them to be available Saturday. The $10 adoption fee will cover a veterinary examination, spay or neuter surgery, a first set of vaccinations, de-worming, heartworm testing for a dog, and a one-year registration tag with the county.

Blankenship said she didn't know about the Clear the Shelters event last year, but upon learning about it several weeks ago, she was enthusiastic about participating. NBC Universal and affiliate television stations such as WCNC-TV in Charlotte help to promote the event, but the cost of carrying it out falls squarely on the shelters themselves, she said.

The Gaston shelter's standard adoption fees are $90 for dogs and $75 for cats. On Saturday, the county alone will supplement the cost of each animal adoption above the $10 it takes in.

"Our vets (that carry out spay/neuter surgeries and exams) will still get their full reimbursement," said Blankenship. "We haven't really budgeted for it because we don't know how successful it will be."

In 2015, about 10 percent of the animals that came into the Gaston shelter, or a total of 489 dogs and cats, were adopted.

The Gaston County Animal Shelter's weekend hours are typically limited to the first Saturday of each month, so this will also provide another window for people to visit and give animals there some consideration. Blankenship said she hopes to see a large crowd.

"We will have a wide variety of dogs and cats available," Blankenship said.