Did International Pet Adoption Reach It's Goal?
posted by: Sharon Seltzer 56 days ago
It was the most aggressive pet adoption program to date – Iams Home 4 the Holidays set out to adopt 1.5 million homeless pets from October 1, 2009 to January 4, 2010. Hilary Swank, the Helen Woodward Animal Center and more than 3,500 animal rescue groups and shelters partnered to promote the event.
Their powerful effort to reduce the number of homeless pets’ worldwide fell just slightly short of their goal. The company announced that 1,363,638 million animals were placed in new adoptive homes. This was still awesome news if you consider the state of the economy.
Hilary Swank said, “I’m proud to be part of such an amazing cause and I hope the many families who adopted through the IH4TH program will experience the same unconditional love and fulfillment my dogs Karoo and Rumi give me every day. I hope our success inspires everyone to get involved and continue to help eradicate pet homelessness because there are millions of animals who still need our help and we all have the ability to help make a difference.”
The following animals were adopted this year:
729,357 dogs
588,265 cats
46,016 other pets (including rabbits, reptiles, horses, birds and others)
Two of the lucky pups that found homes were Sevi and Kaylee.
Sevi is a Border collie mix that was rescued from an abuser who had tightly wrapped her muzzle with duct tape. She was taken to an animal shelter in Ohio where her new guardian “mother” found her and took her home. She has adjusted wonderfully to her new life.
Kaylee is a shepherd mix that landed in an animal shelter in North Carolina as a puppy, along with her littermates. The other puppies were adopted, but Kaylee was left behind to spend her nights sleeping on the concrete floor at the shelter. Her new adopted family spotted her on the Home 4 the Holidays website and traveled 13 hours from Massachusetts to rescue her.
When she arrived at her new home, she had no idea what to do with the toys given to her. Her family also realized that she was afraid of people – especially men. However with a little patience, Kaylee has discovered how fun toys can be and now happily greets everyone she meets.
Shelters and rescue groups in all 50 states participated in the 2009 program. In addition, organizations from the following international communities took part in the massive adoption effort: Australia, Canada, Colombia, Great Britain, Guam (USA), India, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Ukraine and Venezuela. A visit to the website shows exactly which shelters participated in each geographical area.
Home 4 the Holidays has been an ongoing event since 1999. The 2010 program will kick-off on October 1st. If your animal rescue group or animal shelter would like to take part in the program click on Home 4 the Holidays for an application.
Read more: animal welfare, homeless pets, iams home 4 the holidays, pet adoption
comments
if people would just spay and neuter their pets and took responsibility to decrease the pet population we wouldn't even have to think about this.
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I say "yes" with the condition that there is a way to screen those who claim they want to rescue a pet. You must be sure they are reliable and able to care for the animal. They also must understand and accept the responsibility they are taking on. This condition would be difficult to meet in mass adoptions but it is important to ensure the animals are going to good and loving homes.
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My only concern about this approach is that undesirable adopters might not be spotted. Even during one-on-one adoption events that can happen, unless everyone is very vigilant.
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never enough as long as there are animals with out homes we did not succeed, the day that all animals have loving homes is when we have won the battle.
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Thanks to everyone who contributed towards this campaign. Great job! And don't worry about falling slightly short of your goal - It's not just the quantity of adoptions that matters but also the quality of them - it's important to make sure that the animals go to good homes where they will be cared for and loved for the rest of their lives.
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Ciao... meno male che ogni tanto, ci sono anche buone notizie!
Grazie, per il vostro lavoro a favore delle creature sfortunate, e per rendere questo mondo, un posto migliore!
Cordiali e civili saluti.
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Good work to all those whom help the helpless get a good home.
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I cross post the euthenize list for Greenville SC to rescues--every week I look at the little faces of dogs and cats that without intervention are slated to die--this is so heartbreaking for me !!!! All shelters should be no kill and if enough people cared this horror would stop !! No animal deserves to die alone and unloved !!
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thanks so much for posting this
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awesome. it's nice to hear good news on animal welfare.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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