INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson, joined by Jim Garrard, administrator of Indianapolis Animal Care and Control, and Martha Boden, executive director of the Humane Society of Indianapolis, will kick-off the "Home 4 the Holidays," a national campaign to promote the adoption of orphaned animals during the holiday season. Mayor Peterson also will proclaim December as Home 4 the Holidays month.
WHEN: Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 271:30 p.m.
WHERE: Indianapolis Animal Care and Control2600 S. Harding St.
Home 4 the Holidays is designed to increase adoptions during the holiday season and decrease euthanasia. More families add pets to their homes during the holidays than at any other time of year, yet only 17 percent of these pets are adopted from shelters. This campaign promotes the adoption of orphaned pets, rather than the purchase of pets from a pet store.
"We want to encourage people who have decided to add a pet to their family to begin by looking for the right match in area shelters," Mayor Peterson said. "Indianapolis shelters are full of loving pets available for adoption."
Indianapolis Animal Care & Control asked The Humane Society of Indianapolis to join them to promote the adoption of shelter pets. Because of the collaborative effort, 15 additional organizations in Indianapolis and surrounding areas will partner with the city's largest animal shelters in the Home 4 the Holidays campaign:
Many shelters will be holding special events in addition to their regular adoption efforts. Information can be found on each organization's website or by visiting www.spayneuter.net/h4th.htm, where people will find a web page dedicated to the 2002 Home 4 the Holidays campaign. This page contains a list of special events, logos of the local participating organizations and links to their websites.
The Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, CA, started Home 4 the Holidays in 1999 with 14 animal shelters. In 2001, it expanded to include more than 450 participating shelters across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, completing more than 100,000 adoptions. This year, Home 4 the Holidays will include more than 1,050 shelters in nearly 20 countries.
A list of Animal Care and Control and Humane Society events follows this advisory.