Natural Pawz makes record donation to Houston shelters

Houston, Texas, USA-based Natural Pawz pet supply and grooming chain celebrated National Pet Day on April 11 by donating 100,000 pounds of dog food to local animal shelters and rescue groups.
The donation purportedly was the largest pet food donation in the city’s history, and was four times larger than the company’s recent annual donations. The donation, valued at US$250,000, will feed 5,000 shelter dogs for six to eight weeks.
The food was donated by Merrick, Nature’s Variety and Petcurean. For every pound of Nature’s Variety purchased, Nature’s Variety donated a pound, with a total donation of 10,000 pounds, which went to the city’s the Rescue Bank National Pet Food Distribution Program.
"Natural Pawz’s generous donation is a huge benefit to the Rescue Bank community in Houston,” said Elizabeth Asher, executive director, Rescue Bank. "Nature's Variety is a great food; receiving 10,000 pounds of puppy food at the height of puppy season will help us support the smaller rescue groups that struggle with resources. In turn, more puppies will be saved from shelters or the streets.”
Natural Pawz warehoused and inventoried all 100,000 pounds of food and delivered 30,000-40,000 pounds to the City of Houston BARC Animal Shelter, 35,000 pounds to the Houston Humane Society, and 10,000 to the Rescue Bank. Twenty other local rescue groups each received 700 pounds of food.
"We really wanted to spread the food out as much as we could to affect as many people as possible,” said Biff Picone, who co-owns 15 Natural Pawz stores. "We wanted to do something that made a statement in Houston and increase awareness and that’s what we think we did.”

Pets Add Life launches shelter contest to award US$50,000

Pets Add Life (PAL), a nonprofit campaign focused on the benefits of pet ownership, is giving away a total of US$50,000 to three shelters across the US through its Second Annual Shelter Showdown Contest. Between October 22–November 19, 2014, shelter supporters and communities are encouraged to vote for their organization of choice once per day, and the shelters with the most votes win and will be announced November 19, during PAL’s National Get a Pal For Your Pet Day.

“We are so thrilled to bring the Shelter Showdown contest back, and ultimately help more pets find loving homes,” said Bob Vetere, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association. “It was rewarding to give away US$25,000 to deserving shelters last year and we couldn’t be happier to provide even more this year. I strongly encourage communities to rally, vote and help spread the word!”
The Shelter Showdown Contest (open to all PetFinder organizations) will award US$25,000 to the grand prize winner with the most votes, US$15,000 to the second place winner and US$10,000 to the third place winner. To vote, shelter supporters can simply ‘Like’ the PAL Facebook page at facebook.com/PetsAddLife and click the Shelter Showdown app or visit www.ShelterShowdown.com. Participants can search and vote for their shelter or rescue organization of choice once per 24-hour period through November 19, 2014 at noon EST. 

Pet rescue film by Halo, Purely for Pets opens Sonoma film festival

"Who rescued who?" was the impetus of a short film that opened the Sonoma International Film Festival in Sonoma, Calif., on April 2. 

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"Le Sauvetage" (The Rescue) is a six-minute film produced by Peter McEvilley, award-winning filmmaker and composer, and starring the Olate Dogs, winners of America's Got Talent. The film is a magical tale about life, love and finding our true destiny ... with a little help from a furry friend. The short film was sponsored and produced by Ellen DeGeneres' natural petfood company Halo, Purely for Pets.
Halo has a track record of promoting rescue and adoption through film. The company sponsors all three episodes of Shelter Me, a PBS special dedicated to showcasing shelter dogs and the incredible lives they lead. Halo also sponsored the Humane Society of the United States' video campaign, "Meet My Shelter Pet," a series of videos featuring celebrities and their adopted pets.
"Le Sauvetage" has also been selected to appear at the Court Metrage, Festival de Cannes in France in May.

Pedigree highlights shelter dogs with 'See what good food can do' program

At the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, baseball player David Ortiz and actor Josh Duhamel were on site to help kick off Pedigree's "See what good food can do" campaign and help shine a spotlight on the millions of shelter dogs in need of a home. The new documentary-style campaign features real stories of shelter dogs, their shelter caregivers and the dog's new families.

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Pedigree is now calling on the rest of the US to get involved:

• Every time dog lovers tell their tale of what their dog means to them, using #DogTales on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, Pedigree will donate a bowl of food to a shelter dog in need.
• View the documentary-style films by Ortiz and Duhamel at Facebook.com/Pedigree and share these videos with friends. Leave a comment and let Pedigree know what your shelter dog means to you.
• Check out the new Pedigree commercials that document real dogs stories and their transformations with new homes on the brand's YouTube page, www.youtube.com/pedigreebrand.
• Be on the lookout for Duhamel's own personal documentary-style story which showcases his involvement with shelter dogs.

Companies recognize importance of giving back to homeless pets

Companies outside of the pet industry are recognizing the importance of giving to homeless pets and also helping their own business, says a recent article. 
For example, Cedar Park Overhead Doors regularly sponsors special events for local animal shelters near the Cedar Park, Texas, USA, community, most recently sponsoring an annual bowl-a-thon for Texas Humane Heroes. 
According to Don Grenier, owner of Cedar Park Overhead Doors, "I am always looking for ways to give back to the community and, since my wife and I have two rescue dogs, giving back to the local animal rescue community is the perfect fit."
In Florida, USA, Subaru of Orange Park recently hosted an Adoptathon, covering all adoption fees and donating 100 pounds of food to local shelters for every car sold during the event.
In White Plains, New York, USA, the Pepe Infiniti dealership began a photo contest on its Facebook page. Mark Hersh, executive manager of the dealership, was inspired to begin the contest after seeing an amusing photo of his son holding Leo, a Labradoodle. After the overwhelming success of the contest online, he decided to host a dog rescue event in the dealership. "Six rescues from around Westchester County, New York, brought five adoptable dogs each to what was called Pepe Infiniti's Fur-Ever Home Dog Adoption event," said Hersh. "Approximately 200 guests came to the event and 12 dogs found Fur-Ever homes." The event was even so successful that a mall in the area, The Westchester, asked Hersh to reproduce the event with 12 participating rescues and more than 2,500 attendees. 

Pet owners can help shelters with purchase from new dog treat company

Be Pawsitive, a new dog treat company, recently launched with a "Buy One, Give One" philosophy that offers a way for pet owners to give back to their dog while also helping shelter dogs.
Consumers can purchase the company's monthly organic treat boxes, and for each box purchased, Be Pawsitive donates another box of the treats to an animal shelter or rescue organization. Customers can recommend a shelter or rescue organization to be added to the list of recipients at checkout.
"After learning that more than 3 million dogs end up in shelters across the country each year, I felt compelled to do whatever I could to help," said Travis Watson, founder of Be Pawsitive. "The treats we donate not only provide a healthy snack for the dogs but also help with obedience training to get them ready for new homes, and also serve as an 'ice breaker' for the dog and potential adopter during their first meeting. The treats are really making a difference."
Be Pawsitive, which launched in June, provides all-natural, organic dog treats for dogs, offering a new flavor each month. In addition to the treats, each box includes a month's supply (about 55) biscuits, dog toys or a gift card/discount code for other dog products, and an update on how Be Pawsitive is helping shelter dogs.
Customers can choose from one of three monthly subscription options beginning at US$18 per month. Consumers can learn more about the company and its treat options online. 

PetFinder.com celebrates October as Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month

PetFinder.com is hoping to find forever homes for the nearly 200,000 dogs in shelters and rescues across North America by celebrating Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month in October.
PetFinder.com is urging families to help dogs in need of homes by:
• Adopting a dog or giving the gift of pet adoption with Petfinder’s Pet Promise Certificate.
• Volunteering with a local rescue or shelter
• Donating Facebook posts and Tweets to highlight adoptable dogs
• Visiting Petfinder.com for more ideas and resources
Additionally, Petfinder.com will host two Adopt-A-Shelter Dog Month events near the Washington, D.C., USA and New York, USA, areas, featuring adoptable dogs, prizes and more.
The first, an Animal Planet R.O.A.R. & Petfinder Community Adoption Event will be held on Thursday, October 4, from 4-6 p.m. The event will take place at the Discovery Communications headquarters at One Discovery Place in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
Another Petfinder Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month Adoption Event will also be hosted at Animal Haven at 251 Centre Street in New York, New York, USA, from 12-3 p.m. on October 13.

New 'Cat Chat with Arloa' episode looks at cat food, cat health link

981 Media and actress Arloa Reston released the latest episode in the series, “Cat Chat with Arloa,” which investigates the link between different types of cat food and cat health.
"Cat Chat with Arloa" interviews pet nutritionist and wellness expert, Marc Ching, to investigate the link between cat food and cat health, with discussions focused on dry cat food and the effects it can have on a cat's health. The show looks into the dry petfood production process, as well as discusses other species-appropriate diets.
The episode also features Lil Bit, a healthy, purebred Russian Blue cat who was abandoned and almost euthanized at a city shelter before being rescued by a no-kill cat rescue group. He has been living at the Cat Connection cattery and is hoping to find a forever home. According to Arloa, “Many purebred cats can be found at shelters and in rescue groups. Lil Bit is just one of many who are homeless due to cat overpopulation."
New "Cat Chat with Arloa" episodes are available weekly on Wednesday mornings at http://CatChat.TV.

Pedigree, 'Annie' initiative to raise money for shelter dogs

Pedigree dog food brand has launched the "See the Show, Help a Dog" initiative in partnership with the Broadway production of "Annie The Musical" to help shelter dogs find loving homes.
From now through December 31, 2013, Pedigree brand will make a donation to Pedigree Foundation for each "Annie" ticket sold, up to US$1,000,000. All proceeds from limited-edition "Annie" Pedigree merchandise, available online beginning in October, will also go to benefit the Pedigree Foundation.
In the musical "Annie," Sandy, orphan Annie's loyal dog, will be played by Sunny, a dog rescued from a shelter in Houston, Texas, USA. The understudy for Sandy, a dog named Casey, was also rescued from a Pedigree brand-sponsored shelter near Nashville, Tennessee, USA. With the show set to debut in the fall, the dog playing Sandy will be provided nutrition by Pedigree while she trains for the performance and throughout the duration of the musical.

Halo, Ellen DeGeneres donate 1 million meals to shelter pets

Ellen DeGeneres and Halo, Purely for Pets teamed up to donate 1 million meals to shelter dogs.
The initiative was originally announced March 17, 2010, on DeGeneres' show. Halo announced that this goal was recently completed, ensuring shelter pets have healthy food to eat and raising awareness of pet adoption.

Purina launches new petfood line, will donate to animal shelters for every video viewed on Purina One Beyond website

Purina is launching a new line of petfood in January 2011 called Purina One Beyond. 
Purina One Beyond is designed to be an all-natural, high quality, flavorful kibble that is free of fillers and artificial preservatives, the company says. Purina says the first ingredient in the food is real meat; other ingredients include carrots, apples, tomatoes, blueberries, sweet potatoes and spinach.
Purina One Beyond's website has several videos that share more about the new product. Each time one of the videos on the website is viewed, Purina One Beyond will donate US$1 to homeless pets in the company's network of animal shelters. So far, Purina has donated over US$162,000 and will continue to make donations up to US$300,000 through December 10.

Aller Petfood to donate cat food to Estonia animal shelters

Aller Petfood will donate 4,000 kg of cat food to charities in Estonia for the Christmas holiday.
Caramira, Aller's partner in Estonia, and the Estonian Animal Care Society will work with Aller to distribute the food between animal shelters and volunteer organizations that help cats in Estonia.
“For us, petfood is not just a business, it is about improving the lives of cats and dogs. Not all cats and dogs are lucky enough to have a loving owner who feeds them well, so we have chosen to support homeless cats in Estonia,” said Henriette Bylling, Aller Petfood managing director.

AVMF partners with Hill's, Merial for Gulf Coast pet relief program

The American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) partnered with Hill's Pet Nutrition and Merial for the Gulf Coast Pet Relief Program.
The effort is part of AVMF's Animal Disaster Relief and Response Fund. It will offer aid to 90 veterinary clinics and five shelters in the Gulf region by providing US$145,000 in funding and petfood products between AVMF, Hill's Pet Nutrition and Merial's Paws to Save Petsprogram. The donations will go toward reimbursing veterinary clinics that provided free services and goods to their clients whose livelihoods were impacted by the Gulf Coast oil spill.
"Pet-related issues in the Gulf continue to escalate, which is why we called upon our partners to come together to provide relief," said Michael Cathey, executive director of AVMF. "Our hope is to ease the pet care challenges families and shelters in the Gulf are facing by providing funding and resources for food and medical care."