Iams, Helen Woodward Animal Center Set World Pet Adoption Record

378,754 Family Pet Placements Drive 8th Annual Campaign

San Diego (PRWeb) January 19, 2007 -- More than a third of a million orphaned dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, and other "critters" woke up this morning wrapped in the love of their new families thanks to the 8th annual "Iams Home 4 the Holidays" pet adoption drive. A new world pet adoption record of 378,754 is being reported by Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center…co-founders of the campaign.

"Not only did we surpass our goal of 350,000 adoptions," says Helen Woodward Animal Center President Mike Arms, "we broke the world pet adoption record that we set last year. We believe that the holiday season is a time for families and sharing. What greater gift can there be than to save the life of an orphan during the holidays?"

people help animals and animals help people.

Arms explains, "We don't refer to these pets as 'homeless'. They have a place to stay in a shelter or foster home. What they don't have are families. This year Helen Woodward Animal Center, Iams Dog & Cat Foods, and more than 2,440 animal welfare organizations in 12 countries worldwide 'joined paws' to change that. Nobody wants to think about an orphan starting the New Year behind bars or, worse yet, not surviving until the New Year because there's no room at the inn."

This year's Iams Home 4 the Holidays campaign united 186,987 dogs, 172,016 cats, and 19,761 other pets with their new families. IH4TH 2006 also brought the 8-year-old campaign to a new plateau by surpassing 1.5 million adoptions since its inception.

Home 4 the Holidays began in 1999 when 14 San Diego area shelters found homes for 2,563 orphaned pets. In its second year the drive expanded to 5 states, and in 2001 Iams Home 4 the Holidays became the largest pet adoption drive in history when 450 participating groups completed 100,000 adoptions.

"Iams wants pets to live long and healthy lives," says Iams spokeperson, Kris Parlett. "Iams Home 4 the Holidays helps make that happen by bringing orphaned pets and people together for life."

Parlett adds, "We are honored to partner with Helen Woodward Animal Center and the 2,440 other shelters and rescues around the world, and hope that this campaign helps the organizations increase their success in finding lifelong, loving homes for orphaned pets. That's the greatest gift of all."

The 9th annual Iams Home 4 the Holidays drive will kick off Monday, November 5, 2007. Shelters and rescue groups worldwide can register online at http://www.home4theholidays.org.

About Helen Woodward Animal Center
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where "people help animals and animals help people." Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 57,000 people and thousands of animals annually. Helen Woodward Animal Center also is creator of the international Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive and the Animal Center Educational Services training program.

About Iams
For nearly 60 years, Iams has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet care products. To learn more about Eukanuba® and Iams® Dog & Cat Foods, the Eukanuba Veterinary Diets™ line of canine and feline prescription diets or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Pet Care and Nutrition Center at (800) 863-4267 or visit http://www.iams.com.

About Procter & Gamble
   
Two billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Bounty®, Pringles®, Folgers®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Actonel®, Olay® and Clairol Nice 'n Easy®. The P&G community consists of nearly 98,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

###