Courtesy Canadian newswire:
TORONTO, Jan. 18 /CNW/ - One of the world's largest pet adoption campaigns, Iams Home 4 the Holidays, announced today that 1,125,667 animals were adopted between October 1, 2010 and January 4, 2011 in North America. Iams and long-time partners Helen Woodward Animal Center and the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies(CHFS), along with more than 3,500 animal organizations from around the world once again joined forces to help reduce pet homelessness.
Forever homes were found for orphaned pets, including:
593,146 dogs
509,470 cats
23,051 other animals (including rabbits, reptiles, horses and birds)
"With all the hard work that animal organizations do every day, we're thrilled to be able to support those efforts and shine an even brighter light on the issues and the importance of pet adoption each year with this program," said Mike Arms, founder of Iams Home 4 the Holidays and president of Helen Woodward Animal Center. "We're all very proud of the successes we've had over the years and will continue to work together in the hopes that one day every homeless pet will be in a loving home for all their holidays."
Animal welfare advocate and popular Quebec comedian Stéphane Fallu adds, "It's remarkable to see the positive response this campaign has generated in three short months. The lives of over 1.1 million animals have been forever changed, and in return, the lives of their families have been greatly enriched. The program has broken down myths associated with shelters and proved that wonderful animals can be found in local communities everywhere."
Understanding that not everyone is in the position to adopt a pet, Iams wanted to make it easy for more people to get involved and help make a difference by creating the Bags 4 Bowls food drive. Consumers could either purchase specially-marked bags of pet food or interact on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/iams) to help donate bowls of pet food to participating organizations. The food drive met its goals and was an incredible success; as a result, Iams is donating 5,000,000 meals to participating animal organizations.*
"We're proud to be a part of the Iams Home 4 the Holidays program and the tremendous success it has made to date in finding forever homes for orphaned animals," said Shelagh MacDonald, program director, The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. "Since it began over 11 years ago, the program has helped millions of families experience the joy of pet adoption and we are dedicated to continuing to promote animal shelters as the best source for the public to find their new four-legged family members."
The annual program will begin finding "forever" homes for needy pets again in October 2011. To learn how to get involved and make a difference in the life of an orphaned pet, visit http://www.facebook.com/iams for ways to adopt, donate or volunteer.
