Merrick’s helps shelter pets with baseball campaign

As baseball season begins in the US, Merrick’s is kicking off Homeruns for Shelters, a campaign that will support local shelters.
For every home run hit by the home teams during Opening Day games, Merrick’s will make a US$1,000 Merrick food donation to a local animal shelter – that’s one shelter for every homer. Pet parents can nominate their favorite local shelter or rescue on Merrick’s Facebook page and invite others to share and vote for their shelter. The shelters with the most votes will win a special delivery of Merrick food in April.
Here’s how to help your favorite shelter:

• Share #HomerunsForShelters from Merrick’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and encourage your fans to nominate their local shelters or pet rescues.
• Post or tweet to your favorite baseball team about #HomerunsForShelters.
•  Share your best pet rescue and adoption stories and photos with us. Tweet and post pics of your pets sporting their home team caps and T-shirts, too, tagging #HomerunsForShelters. 

Blue Buffalo launches Shelter Starts to celebrate pet adoption

Blue Buffalo has launched BLUE Shelter Stars, a website celebrating pet adoption and the work of America’s animal shelters.

With so many homeless pets across the country, pet parents are making a difference in the lives of animals that deserve a second chance. The website gives pet parents the opportunity to share the love of their adopted dogs and cats, uploading photos, videos and stories about their own “Shelter Stars.”
In addition to community-generated content, the website will serve as an information hub about animal shelters and rescues, pet adoption and more.
"Over the years, we've helped place over 2.5 million pets in forever homes through our animal welfare initiatives," said David Petrie, vice president, Blue Buffalo Co. "We look forward to continuing our work with animal shelters and celebrate pet parents who choose to adopt."
The website launches in anticipation of the Blue Buffalo-sponsored NBC TV special, “Best in Shelter,” hosted by animal welfare advocate and former NBC correspondent, Jill Rappaport. The show highlights pet adoption centers from around the country and includes appearances from celebrity animal lovers Betty White, Lindsey Vonn and others. One dog from each shelter will be named "Best in Shelter" and win a one-year supply of a food-filled care package from Blue Buffalo.

BOGO Bowl helps pets in need with food, cash gifts

When a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of BOGO Bowl petfood for their own pet, one bag is automatically gifted to an organization of the customer’s choice, with free shipping.

Petfood company BOGO Bowl helps pets in need by providing shelters, rescues or similar organizations with petfood or other monetary gifts.


When a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of BOGO Bowl petfood for their own pet, one bag is automatically gifted to an organization of the customer’s choice, with free shipping.
A new offer for 2015 is BOGO Bucks, a cash gift for the organization if food isn’t what they need. After polling its more than 100 recipient partners on how BOGO Bowl could exceed their expectations and more efficiently help them achieve their missions, it was discovered that some organizations had enough food, but were struggling in other areas: vet bills, volunteers couldn’t afford gas for critical rescue missions, many needed to hire administrative help.
“I believe we’re the first to not only offer the option of gifting one bag for every bag purchased, but if an organization needs cash for administrative, vet or other fees over petfood, we send them a check,” said Sara Henderson, founder of BOGO Bowl.
By using BOGO Bucks, organizations can spend money on anything their organization needs. Once a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of food for their own pet, they choose a recipient organization from a list of existing BOGO Bowl partners, or the customer can add a new legitimate organization of their choosing. BOGO Bowl will then contact that organization to determine if they’d like a quarterly petfood match or a quarterly cash gift.
“We do our best to work with every partner individually,” Henderson said.  “We want the program to work for them.  In turn, we ask that they give away our samples at their events, invite their fans and followers to join BOGO Bowl on social media and do everything they can to encourage supporters of their organization to support us.  It’s an easy equation - the more people who purchase BOGO Bowl for their everyday petfood needs, the more organizations and pets in need we can help.”

Hill’s Pet Nutrition helps feed shelter animals

US-based Hill's Pet Nutrition has two charitable programs that partner with animal shelters to provide quality petfood to animals in need.
Established in 2002, Hill's Food, Shelter and Love program has donated more than US$275 million worth of Science Diet brand foods to more than 1,000 shelters nationwide. The aim of the program is to boost the health of shelter animals so they are more adoptable. Since its creation, the program and has helped more than 7 million pets find new homes. Food, Shelter and Love is active in all 50 US states and helps feed more than 100,000 homeless pets in more than 800 shelters daily.
Hill's Disaster Relief Network is an intervention that provides petfood to communities affected by natural disasters. In the wake of disasters, petfood owners often have trouble obtaining food for their animals. The Disaster Relief Network distributes emergency petfood through a nationwide network of 100 shelter partners. To date, Hill's has contributed to relief efforts in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Sandy, Isaac and Katrina; tornadoes in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri; and fires in Colorado Springs, Arizona and Idaho.

Global Pet Foods collecting donations for animal shelters

Canada-based Global Pet Foods, Natural Balance and Wilson will be collecting donations at Global Pet Foods locations from Jan. 31 through Feb. 14, 2015 as part of the annual "Show Your Heart" campaign. All proceeds will be donated to local pet shelters and groups. Global Pet Foods will match the first dollar of every in-store donation, and donations can also be made online at www.globalpetfoods.com.

“Small donations add up and make a big difference to smaller community-based groups who can use the funds to cover expenses for veterinary care, buy food or just keep the lights on,” said Jim Walker, president of Global Pet Foods. 

Jackson Galaxy launches foundation for shelter animals

Cat behaviorist and Petfood Forum 2015 keynote speaker Jackson Galaxy has launched The Jackson Galaxy Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit created to better the lives of shelter animals. While Galaxy works primarily with cats, he said his foundation will benefit all shelter pets.

“My work with the Humane Society made me aware of the harsh realities of pet overpopulation,” said Galaxy. “I believe that no animal should die waiting for a home, so the ultimate goal of our organization is to help save the 4 million animals that die in shelters each year.” The Jackson Galaxy Foundation plans to accomplish this mission by working closely with animal shelters, enhancing shelter design and construction while educating staff and adopters on animal behavior—improvements Galaxy said will lead to higher adoption rates. Additionally, the organization will award shelters with monetary and food grants for immediate support.
The foundation’s first major effort comes just in time for the holidays, with the help of Wellness Natural Pet Food. The Massachusetts-based company is providing natural dog and cat food, valued at over US$20,000, for the foundation to grant to shelters with a critical need. Wellness will also provide a monetary donation to further assist the charity in meeting its objectives. “We believe in the Jackson Galaxy Foundation’s mission to improve the lives of shelter pets, and we’re happy to provide food and monetary support to this worthy cause,” said Chanda Leary-Coutu, senior manager of marketing communications for Wellness Natural Pet Food.
Galaxy will deliver the opening keynote at Petfood Forum 2015 on April 28. He will talk about the inspirations for his career, lessons he’s learned from working with cats and their owners and why his primary goal is to help save the 4 million animals that die in shelters each year, working through his Team Cat Mojo campaign and the foundation.

GreaterGood.org, Rescue Bank merge

GreaterGood.org is bringing Rescue Bank into its family, a merger that will deepen the organization's positive impact on the lives of shelter pets, says GreaterGood.

"We've worked closely with GreaterGood.org since our national expansion almost four years ago," says Elizabeth Asher, who continues to serve as executive director of Rescue Bank. "We are excited about the impact our combined programs will have on improving nutrition for rescued pets and making veterinary care and adoption program support more accessible. GreaterGood shares our commitment to improving the standards of care throughout the rescue and shelter community."
GreaterGood says they are thrilled to be more closely integrated with Rescue Bank. "They are a tremendously impactful organization whose dedication to serving rescue groups and the animal welfare community as a whole is as inventive as it is compassionate," says Executive Director Liz Baker. "This merger allows us to expand our role in the animal welfare community and deepens our commitment to caring for shelter pets across the country."

Dogswell launches contest to raise animal adoption awareness

Dogswell has launched a national contest to raise awareness for animal adoptions in honor of National Pet Month. As of May 19, 2014, consumers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite no-kill animal shelter to win a professional photo shoot for their adoptable dogs.

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The contest will run for four weeks. An announcement will be made on June 30 with the name of the winning no-kill shelter. Fifteen adoptable dogs from the shelter will get their “picture perfect” moment captured by Kaylee Greer from Dog Breath Photography. The winning shelter will also receive a six-month supply of Dogswell food.
“Dogswell is proud to celebrate the efforts of shelters across the country while showing that something as simple as a picture can increase a dog’s chances of getting adopted,” said Dogswell CEO Brad Casper. “We are thrilled to partner with Kaylee Greer to help these dogs make the best ‘first impression’ and increase their chances for a healthy and happy life.”
To vote for your local no-kill shelter, visit the #Smile4DogswellContest tab on Dogswell’s Facebook page, as well as the respective shelter’s Facebook page to like and/or share the Dogswell-branded post throughout the month of May. Consumers are also encouraged to participate using the hashtag #Smile4DogswellContest across all social platforms. 

ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge saves more than 36,000 shelter pets in first two months

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Jax was one of the dogs adopted from the Lawrence, Kansas, USA, Humane Society as part of the ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) announced that 36,790 pets were adopted or reunited with their owners during the first two months of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. The three-month competition involves 49 animal shelters across the US that are working to increase adoptions and win some of the more than US$600,000 in ASPCA prize grants being awarded. 
During the first two months of the contest, many shelters continued to try new methods of driving traffic to their adoption centers, such as by holding big adoption events, unique promotions and discounts on adoption fees.
"Not only are both the shelters and animals winning, but so are the new families," said Bert Troughton, vice president of community outreach for ASPCA. "We've heard from hundreds of new adopters who have submitted entries to this year's photo contest, proudly showing off photos of their newly adopted family pets...Watching these pets leave the shelter and start their new lives with their new families is what this contest is all about."
The 49 contestants are working to save more animals during the months of June, July and August than they did over the same period in 2012. The 2012 competition's shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011.

Pedigree Feeding Project names two newest cities to receive free petfood

Pedigree petfood brand named Erie, Pennsylvania, USA, and Detroit/ Flint, Michigan, USA, as the newest communities to participate in the Pedigree Feeding Project – a program that supplies shelters with 100 percent of their core dog food needs at no cost.
Pedigree began the search for two new communities in January, asking dog lovers to visit the brand's Facebook page to nominate a community or shelter. Two winners were voted on among five finalists announced by Miranda Lambert in March. Along with Erie and Detroit/Flint, the Pedigree Feeding Project also feeds Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and Chicago, Illinois, USA. 

Iams donates 5.5 million pet food bowls as part of pet adoption drive

Through Iams pet food brand's Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive, which ran October 1, 2012, through January 2, nearly 1.3 million pets were placed in forever homes in partnership with the Helen Woodward Animal Center. As part of the drive, Iams donated 5.5 million bowls of pet food to homeless pets.
The adoption drive also focused on providing proper nutrition to pets, and it allowed consumers to get involved by purchasing specially marked pet food bags, taking part in the Digital Dish Drive on Iams' Facebook page and joinging Iams' Life Long Rewards program. In total, Iams' pet adoption drive placed 684,896 dogs, 553,550 cats and 26,663 other animals in homes.
“We're celebrating the fact that in just three months we helped save the lives of almost 1.3 million animals,” said Mike Arms, founder of the adoption drive and president of Helen Woodward Animal Center. “We're proud of the work we've done and we're especially proud of the hard work the partner organizations continue to do every day. Take the story of Wyatt, a tiny kitten who was abandoned and found near death. Wyatt was nursed back to health by dedicated cat rescue volunteers and has since found his forever home. Stories like these show us the importance of promoting pet adoption and how a program like Iams Home 4 the Holidays can make a huge difference in the life of a pet."

Lincoln Bark donates US$4,000 to help homeless animals in 2012

Pet treat maker Lincoln Bark made roughly US$4,000 in charitable donations to nonprofits and dog rescues throughout the US in fiscal 2012. The three main recipients of Lincoln Bark’s donations were PAWS Chicago, The Anti-Cruelty Society and the Fido Friendly magazine “Get Your Licks on Route 66” adoption tour.
In total, Lincoln Bark donated nearly US$2,500 to PAWS Chicago and The Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The donations included gift baskets for fundraising events, Lincoln Bark dog treats, and sponsored booths at PAWS’ Run for Their Lives 8K/4K and The Anti-Cruelty Society’s Bark in the Park 5K. Lincoln Bark's director of marketing, Michelle Laing, also raised about US$600 for homeless pets by running on behalf of Team PAWS in the Chicago Marathon.
Additionally, Lincoln Bark donated US$1,500 worth of dog treats to the dogs at 15 USA shelters from California to Illinois as one of the sponsors of the Route 66 adoption tour.
Lincoln Bark says inquiries and opportunities for the company to get involved in the pet community are welcomed and may be sent to info@lincolnbark.com.

Iams kicks off Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive

Iams pet food brand has began the 14th year of its Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive in partnership with the Helen Woodward Animal Center, running through January 2, 2013, which seeks to raise awareness of pet adoption while ensuring proper nutrition for homeless pets.
New for 2012, the Digital Dish Drive will feature a different dog and cat available for adoption on the Iams Facebook page. During scheduled “feeding” times each day, Iams will donate a meal to a participating shelter for every “Like” or “Share.”
Iams Bags 4 Bowls program will also donate free pet food to participating animal shelters during the campaign, donating one bowl of food for each purchase of a specially marked package of Iams pet food. Additionally, Iams will donate food to a homeless pet awaiting adoption for each person that signs up for Iams Lifelong Rewards program after they adopt a new pet.
“With as many as 7 million orphaned pets in the US, this campaign is a wonderful platform to raise awareness about pet homelessness,” said Ondrea Francy, Iams general manager. “This year, Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center are looking to donate more bowls of food than ever before to orphaned pets; last year we gave 5 million meals to animal organizations and we're looking to exceed that goal this year!”
As part of the campaign kick-off, Iams employees will celebrate the pet adoption drive with their annual Paws 4 a Cause event at Circle Tail, a pet shelter outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. More than 300 volunteers from Iams and other P&G Pet Care brands will donate almost 2,400 man hours to give the shelter a makeover and highlight the animals awaiting adoption there. 

Iams petfood prepares for Home 4 the Holidays facebook campaign in October

Iams pet food brand is getting ready to begin its Home 4 the Holidays campaign to fight pet homelessness and feed orphaned animals, which will run from October 1 through January 2, 2013.
As part of this year's Home 4 the Holidays campaign, people will be able to visit the Iams Facebook page to participate in the Digital Dish Drive to help donate meals to dogs and cats by liking or commenting on posts during the campaign. The campaign's Friends 4 Life program will allow consumers to sign up and designate which shelters they think should receive pet food from Iams. Additionally, the Bags 4 Bowls program will donate a meal to an orphaned per for each bag of Iams pet food sold.

PetFoodDirect.com launches Rescue Tales Facebook Contest

PetFoodDirect.com launched the Feeding Fido & Friends Rescue Tales Facebook Contest. The nationwide contest invites pet lovers to tell their rescue tales of inspirational pets and the rescues or shelters that helped them beat the odds.

Now through December 18, pet lovers can submit their rescue tales on PetFoodDirect.com’s Facebook page. A team of judges will select 10 finalists with the most moving stories and post them on Facebook in early January 2012. Facebook users may then vote for two weeks to select the winning, most inspirational rescue tale.

The winning rescue or shelter organization will receive US$5,000 in pet food and treats from the contest’s sponsors–Eukanuba, Fancy Feast, Greenies, Halo, Pounce and World’s Best Cat Litter. Each of the nine finalists will receive a US$100 gift certificate from PetFoodDirect.com.
“As a company built on providing food for our four-legged friends, it’s important to us that we do our part in caring for animals in need,” said Brock Weatherup, CEO of PetFoodDirect.com. “We launched this contest to help support the amazing work done by rescue and shelter organizations across the country. They’re giving pets a second chance each and every day.”  

Pedigree will donate dog food for every QR code scanned on its packages at Walmart

The Pedigree petfood brand is teaming up with Walmart in a technology-driven initiative to help feed homeless dogs as part of "Pets Love Walmart" month in September.

Throughout the month of September, dog lovers can use their smartphone to scan the QR code on any Pedigree package sold at Walmart. For every QR code scanned, Pedigree will donate a bowl of dog food to an animal shelter, up to 500,000 8-ounce bowls.
"This program is truly revolutionary because it marks a new frontier in generating awareness and support for the plight of shelter dogs," said Lisa Campbell, senior brand manager,  Pedigree. "At Pedigree, our love for dogs is our driving passion so we were thrilled to facilitate yet another way people can make a difference in the life of a shelter dog. Scan a code, help a dog. It's that easy."
In September, Walmart will also host weekly educational demonstrations on pet ownership and will display local shelter information on its shelves.

Ke$ha gives petfood to help animals affected by flood

Singer Ke$ha donated 1,000 pounds of petfood to the Nashville Metro Animal Shelter in Tennessee, USA, after seeing the effects of the flooding on the region, according to an article.
The pop star – a Nashville native and owner of five rescued dogs – wanted to help her hometown after hearing the shelter was overwhelmed with homeless pets, so she headed to a local store, bought the petfood and dropped it off at the shelter.
“Sometimes animals get left behind when people are going through tragedy,” Ke$ha said.
She also confirmed that she’ll perform in an upcoming benefit concert for the city.

Seven fundraiser to help twin cities pet shelters overwhelmed by economic downturn

Pet shelters around the country are experiencing population explosions because people simply can no longer afford to take care of their animals.
To help raise awareness and ease the burden on shelters, Seven, Minneapolis’s premier dining and event destination, is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, June 6th starting at 4pm with Pet Steps to Heaven. The event’s title sponsor, the PETFINDER.com Foundation, hopes this inaugural “Steak Out a Home for Pets” event encourages Twin Cities’ families to log on, find a perfect match, and give a sheltered pet a new home.
“This is a valuable resource and data center available to families that want to welcome a pet into their homes,” said John Laub, event promoter and Pet Steps to Heaven owner. “The economic downturn is affecting every aspect of our society, including our furry friends.”
In addition to great food and beverages, guests will mingle with local celebrities and their pets on Seven’s Skybar. Funding for “Steak Out a Home for Pets” also features silent and live auctions.
Tickets are $75 each. Table sponsorships are also available. To order tickets or for more information, go to www.7mpls.com/petfinder.php or call 612-868-8929

Seven fundraiser to help twin city pet shelters overwhelmed by economic downturn

Pet shelters around the country are experiencing population explosions because people simply can no longer afford to take care of their animals.
To help raise awareness and ease the burden on shelters, Seven, Minneapolis’s premier dining and event destination, is hosting a fundraiser on Sunday, June 6th starting at 4pm with Pet Steps to Heaven. The event’s title sponsor, the PETFINDER.com Foundation, hopes this inaugural "Steak Out a Home for Pets" event encourages Twin Cities’ families to log on, find a perfect match, and give a sheltered pet a new home.
“This is a valuable resource and data center available to families that want to welcome a pet into their homes,” said John Laub, event promoter and Pet Steps to Heaven owner. “The economic downturn is affecting every aspect of our society, including our furry friends.”
In addition to great food and beverages, guests will mingle with local celebrities and their pets on Seven’s Skybar. Funding for Steak Out a Home for Pets also features silent and live auctions.
Tickets are $75 each. Table sponsorships are also available. To order tickets or for more information, go to www.7mpls.com/petfinder.php or call 612-868-8929.