IAMS HOME 4 THE HOLIDAYS EMBARKS ON A MISSION TO SAVE THE LIVES OF 1.5
MILLION HOMELESS ANIMALS WORLDWIDE IN JUST THREE MONTHS

Survey* finds that Canadians have high satisfaction with adopting from shelters

TORONTO, Oct 1 /CNW/ - One of the world's largest pet adoption programs - Iams Home 4 the Holidays - kicked off today to help place 1.5 million orphaned pets worldwide into loving forever homes this holiday season. Between Oct. 1, 2010 and Jan. 4, 2011, Iams will work side-by-side with founding partner Helen Woodward Animal Center, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, and 3,500 animal organizations worldwide to help pets find homes and to provide 5 million free meals to animal shelters across North America through the inaugural Bags 4 Bowls program.

"Each year shelters and rescue centers are overwhelmed and overcrowded with nearly a quarter of a million orphaned pets in Canada," said Steve Carroll, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. "We are proud to support Iams Home 4 the Holidays, which aims to reduce the number of homeless pets through adoption."

In Canada, pet adoption is still not top of mind for most Canadians, despite the growing need to find forever homes for millions of homeless animals. A recent survey commissioned by Iams found that, while 95 per cent of Canadians who have adopted from shelters in the past were satisfied with their adoption experience, most Canadians do not plan to adopt an animal in the next year, with only 17 per cent of respondents claiming that they will consider adoption.  The public often has misconceptions about shelter animals, and many are not aware that shelters offer adoptable dogs and cats of all ages, breeds, mixes and sizes. These animals end up at shelters for many reasons, including being lost or an owner moving, divorcing, going through a lifestyle change or developing allergies.

"Pet homelessness is an epidemic in North America and many animal organizations look to programs like Iams Home 4 the Holidays to help drive families to our centres to see these amazing animals," said Mike Arms, founder of the adoption drive and President of Helen Woodward Animal Center. "We've been a part of the adoption drive for 12 years now and have seen the benefit of what this program can do for animals and the families who adopt." There are a lot of ways to get involved and make a difference in the lives of orphaned pets, including:

• Adopt - Our goal is to help 1.5 million pets find forever homes. Families who adopt through the program will receive an Iams adoption kit loaded with important info about nutrition, training and proper care to ensure that the relationship with the new animal starts off on the right paw. Visit www.facebook.com/Iams to find a participating shelter or rescue in Canada.
  
• Donate/Buy - It's easy to participate in the Iams Home 4 the Holidays Bags 4 Bowls program. For every specially marked package of Iams dog or cat food purchased, Iams will donate one bowl** of food to a participating Iams Home 4 the Holidays animal organization. Let's help fill 5 million bowls this holiday season.
  
• Facebook - Visit www.facebook.com/iams to follow the program’s “Adoption Angels”, new pet parents, chronicling their personal journeys of adoption. For each “like” and comment to the various messages, photos, and videos posted by the Adoption Angels, Iams will donate 100 meals to feed orphaned animals, up to a maximum of 5 million meals.
  
• Volunteer – Consider volunteering – it’s free and easy! Animal organizations always need help whether that’s walking dogs or fostering an animal – every bit helps.
  

"We're very proud of the fact that we've helped more than 4.6 million animals find homes over the last 11 years," said Maria Beatriz Rodriguez, Iams General Manager. "Our core mission has been and remains to reduce pet homelessness through adoption. However we want to empower everyone to get involved and make a difference so we created the Bags 4 Bowls program. Our goal is to find homes for 1.5 million animals and provide 5 million bowls of food - that's a lot of permanent homes and meals for millions of deserving animals."

Adoption in Canada

Statistics from the Iams commissioned survey include:

• Four in 10 Canadians (37 per cent) have adopted from an animal shelter in the past
• Of those, 94 per cent were satisfied with their adoption experience
• Only 17 per cent of Canadians are planning to adopt an animal within the next year
• Of those Canadians who have not adopted from a shelter:
• 15 per cent claim they prefer to acquire pets from breeders or pet shops
• 14 per cent claim it was due to the type of animal they believe are available at shelters - animals were perceived to be older, not pure bred or have behavioral problems. According to the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies this is a misconception. Shelters offer adoptable dogs and cats of all ages, breeds, mixes and sizes. Most are admitted for non-behavioural reasons, and undergo behavioural testing and matching programs to ensure a good fit with adopters.

About Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH)

As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, IH4TH partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, IH4TH began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 12 years ago, IH4TH - along with more than 3,500 pet adoption centers - has helped 4.6 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including nearly 1.4 million pet adoptions from 2009. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/iams or www.iams.ca.

About CFHS

Since 1957, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS) has been working to improve conditions for animals across the country. With member humane societies and SPCAs across Canada, the CFHS is the national voice on animal welfare in Canada. It uses this voice to liaise with animal welfare organizations, government, the public, industry, the scientific community, educators and the media to end animal suffering. Find out more at www.cfhs.ca.

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 is also the creator of the international Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive and the Animal Center Education Services program, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world.

About P&G Pet Care

For more than 60 years, P&G Pet Care (NYSE:PG), the maker of Iams and Eukanuba, 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 or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Consumer Care Center at [phone]. You can also visit us on the Web at www.iams.ca or www.eukanuba.com. 

* For the study, a national sample of Canadian men and women was randomly selected from TNS Canada's Internet research panel and invited to complete an online survey. In total, 1380 consumers completed the questionnaire between [8/26/10] and [8/30/10]. The survey data were weighted to reflect the demographic composition of the Canadian population aged 18 years and older.

**bowl of Iams Mini Chunk Dog food or Iams Original Cat food based on one feeding for average size dog or cat

For further information:

For media inquiries, more information and photos, please contact:
Ana Aujla, Optimum PR - [phone] / [email protected]
Ashley Agueci, Optimum PR - [phone] / [email protected]