The Numbers Are In! Iams Home 4 The Holidays helps more than 1 Million pets during 2011 campaign

Thanks to pet lovers everywhere, Iams Home 4 the Holidays found forever homes for more than 1.2 million animals during this season's pet adoption drive.  In addition, pets in need will benefit from the 5 million bowls of food that pet lovers helped to donate through efforts on Facebook, Twitter and blogs... including To Dog With Love!

Since the program began 13 years ago, Iams and founding partner Helen Woodward Animal Center, along with more than 4,000 animal organizations from across the globe have helped more than 7 million pets find forever homes.

2011 Iams Home 4 the Holidays milestones:

• Dogs win by a nose –This year, more dogs were adopted, with 651,224 finding new families, compared to 595,000 cats and 21,317 other pets (including rabbits, reptiles, horses, birds and more)
• Millions of pets now have homes – Since 1999, a total of 7,034,989 animals have been adopted through the program
• Cards for a cause – More than 1,000 cards were created and shared from the Iams Facebook page, generating thousands of meals donated

The 2012 program will begin in October. 

Mike Arms/Iams Hero Award Goes to Austin Humane Society

Frances Jonon with Euka, VP of Canine
Communications at P&G Pet Care

Yesterday, our pals at Iams kicked off the 2011 Iams Home 4 the Holidays program at their Pet Care office's in Ohio in a big way! Mike Arms, president of Helen Woodward Animal Center and Founder of the Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption program, was on hand to present the first annual Mike Arms/Iams Hero Award. And the winner is ...

                  (drum roll please >>>>>>>>>>>)

... the Austin Humane Society for its extraordinary relief effort in the Austin/Bastrop wildfires in September, 2011.  Austin Humane Society took the lead in coordinating the disaster relief efforts for the animals displaced in the Austin/Bastrop counties as a result of the recent Texas wildfires. This widespread disaster destroyed over 1,400 homes in the Central Texas area.

The Austin Humane Society helped create a temporary triage unit in the Austin and Bastrop areas providing food, refuge, and medical care for the displaced animals. 

Accepting the award on behalf of Austin Humane was Frances Jonon, Executive Director. The shelter will be receiving a plaque for their wall and a check for $5,000 from Iams.

From left to right, Mike Arms, President, Helen Woodward

Animal Center; Frances Jonon, Executive Director, Austin Humane

Society; Michel Brousset, Marketing Director, Iams North America

Iams gives out the Mike Arms/Iams Hero Award to a person or animal organization that exemplifies the commitment and passion for the lives of orphaned animals similar to what Mike Arms has been doing for so many years.

For the past 12 years, Iams has joined forces with Mike Arms and the Helen Woodward Animal Center for the annual adoption campaign to help raise awareness of orphaned animals in shelters and rescues around the world. The program has created new ways to increase public awareness about orphaned animals, increase the number of pet adoptions, lower euthanasia rates, and set records for the number of people that are receiving humane education.

Animal shelters and pet rescue groups can still register for the 13th annual IH4TH campaign. 

IH4TH: Help a Pet Find a Furrever Home 4 the Holidays

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... and it’s not even Halloween yet! But if you’re like us and getting into the holiday giving mood already, here’s a great program from Iams and the Helen Woodward Animal Center. 

Since 1999, Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) has partnered with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets.

I met these cute pups Kurt and Friedrich at a

Mostly Mutts Pet Adoption. Pups like these
can make  your hills come alive with the
Sound of Music, ah ah ah ah! Join us for another

Mostly Mutt's adoption event this weekend
at Woody's Cheesesteaks in Atlanta. Yum!

Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, IH4TH has helped 4.6 million families experience the joy of pet adoption.


Currently there are more than 3,700 animal shelters enrolled in the program, including Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue, who have adorable pups like Kurt and Friedrich (at left) for adoption every weekend. 

Since IH4TH kicked off just three weeks ago, more than 152,000 pets have been adopted and 78,519 bowls of food have been donated.

You can add another 100 bowls to that total right now, because this week only, for every adoption-oriented blog post entered into this blog hop, Iams will contribute 100 bowls of food to an Iams Home 4 the Holidays shelter in need!

The Facts

• Iams Home 4 the Holidays runs from Oct.1, 2010 to Jan. 4, 2011
• This year’s goal is to adopt 1.5 million pets
• 1.3 million pets were adopted last year alone
• Information on how to get involved, how to find a participating shelter in your area and other important tips for new parents can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iams or on IamsHome4theHolidays.com

New This Year: Bags 4 Bowls Food Drive

Reducing pet homelessness through adoption is Iams core mission, but if adoption isn’t in your plan this year, here’s another way to help.

Adoption Angel Meaghan's pup

Beryllium (pronounced Brrr-ill-EE-um)

• Follow the Adoption Angel’s stories on Facebook.com/Iams and “LIKE” photos, videos and posts. For every like received, Iams will donate a meal to a homeless animal.
• Purchase specially marked packages of Iams dog or cat food during the campaign and Iams will donate one bowl of food.

The Iams goal is to give 5 million meals to homeless animals. 

And since Cosmo Havanese is an overachiever, stayed tuned for a special Cosmo will be offering for every pal who tweets a special hashtag to support the Iams Home 4 the Holidays Bags 4 Bowls food drive!  Cosmo’s anipals Boris Kitty and Teenys Friends just finished a similar program and raised 70,000 bowls of food between them in just one week. WOW!

And remember, bloggers who write a post about animal adoption and link up to this week’s blog hop, will help donate an additional 100 bowls of food!!

Check out our pal Pet Care Bev for the details.