Iams Home 4 the Holidays Breaks Adoption Record

December 5, 2008

Iams Home 4 the Holidays Breaks Adoption Record Passing the 600,000 Mark – And Highlights Focus on Animal Welfare

DAYTON, OHIO(RushPRNews)12/05/08 - After only eight weeks into the campaign, Iams Home 4 the Holidays surpasses their previous adoption record by helping 646,171 dogs and cats find homes (as of Nov. 30). This year marks the 10th anniversary for the global pet adoption campaign which has partnered together with Helen Woodward Animal Center and more than 3,400 shelters worldwide to help find homes for 1 million homeless pets this holiday season.

“Iams Home 4 the Holidays is only one example of Iams’ commitment to enhancing the lives of dogs and cats and promoting animal welfare,” said Mike Arms, president of Helen Woodward Animal Center and founder of Home 4 the Holidays. “Iams’ commitment to dogs and cats is not only evident in their products and philanthropic efforts but as well as their animal health studies and facilities.”

Mike Arms’ career in animal welfare began in 1969 in New York where he was nearly killed in the line of duty while trying to rescue an orphaned puppy. Since then and throughout the last 40 years, Arms has been responsible for finding homes for millions of orphaned dogs and cats. In 2003, he became a charter member of the Iams Animal Welfare Advisory Board, created by Iams and comprises thought leaders in animal welfare. Through this Advisory Board, Iams continues to break new ground in the areas of animal care and housing and laboratory alternatives to animal studies. These are all in keeping with the brand’s commitment to excellence in innovation and animal care.

Iams believes they are accountable for ensuring their products are wholesome and consumers can feed them with confidence. Because of this commitment, Iams chooses to conduct studies in the homes of their employee families. Today, more than 600 employee families participate in the in-home testing program.

“Even though the vast majority of Iams’ feeding studies are conducted in an in-home setting, there are some studies that require in-depth data gathering in a more controlled environment. Iams does this type of feeding study in their company-owned Pet Health and Nutrition Center,” said Arms. “These studies follow the industry-leading research protocol which was developed in conjunction with us on the Advisory Board.”

The Pet Health and Nutrition Center is a state-of-the-art facility, with dogs and cats living in a cageless environment, receiving proper socialization in an enriched setting. The studies are monitored by Iams’ staff of veterinarians, behaviorists and independent experts.

“Because dogs are pack animals, the dogs are housed with a companion,” notes Arms, who has toured and visited the Pet Health and Nutrition Center numerous times. “Each kennel has that specific dog’s toys, comfortable bed and a doggie-door that allows them access to an outdoor run, giving the dogs extensive room for exercise and play. In addition to the outdoor area, there is a nice park adjacent to the kennels where the dogs play in groups.”

“All of the felines are housed in compatible social groups. Each room is furnished with beds, toys (to stimulate play) and several perches, which allow the cats to observe things from a higher viewpoint. The rooms also have a large window with a platform where the cats can lay in the sun or watch birds outside. It’s very much a pet resort.”

All of the dogs and cats reach a point in their life when it’s time to leave the Pet Health and Nutrition Center. At that point, they are either adopted into a home or placed into retirement. Either way, they will live out their lives in comfort with quality food, outstanding companionship, and top-notch veterinary care.

“Unfortunately, there is still highly inaccurate and misleading information on the Internet regarding Iams,” laments Arms. “Like Helen Woodward Animal Center, Iams is dedicated to enhancing the lives of cats and dogs, with a deep commitment to their health and welfare. We are baffled as to why these groups continue to criticize Iams, who is a leader in animal welfare. Their decade-long commitment to Iams Home 4 the Holidays is a single example of the many ways they enhance the lives of dogs and cats, and I’m proud to call them a partner.”

If you are interested in learning more, please visit www.animalcenter.org, www.iamshome4theholidays.com, and www.IamsTruth.com. You can also contact Iams directly at (800) 525-4267.

About the author:

Filed Under: Animal Life- animal protection, PRESS RELEASE

RUSH PR NEWS newswire and press release services at rushprnews.com / Anne Howard annehowardpublicist.com

Content- Legal Responsability - All material is copyrighted - You may repost but you MUST link back to the original post on your page and acknowledge Rush PR News as the news source. Rush PR News is not legally and/or morally responsible for content of press releases, opinions expressed or fact-checking.

Rush PR News cannot be held legally responsible for material published and distributed through its newswire service or published in its press-room and therefore cannot be sued for published material. Third-party must be contacted directly to dispute content.

Rush PR News is not the contact for material published.

Comments

2 Responses to “Iams Home 4 the Holidays Breaks Adoption Record”

Ian Erik Smith on December 5th, 2008 6:00 pm

IAMS has a history of supporting the abuse of animals despite the idyllic pictures they use in their advertising and despite this grandiose PR effort.

During a nine month undercover investigation, a PETA employee found dogs and cats confined to barren steel cages and cement cells; dogs left piled on filthy paint-chipped floors after having chunks of muscle hacked from their thighs; dogs surgically debarked; and horribly sick dogs and cats languishing in their cages, neglected and left to suffer with no veterinary care.

After intense pressure from PETA and its supporters, IAMS agreed to sever its ties with the facility that was the subject of PETA’s undercover investigation, end all invasive and terminal experiments on dogs and cats and to begin conducting some humane in-home tests for palatability studies.

Despite these improvements, Iams refuses to end all laboratory experiments on animals. As many as 700 dogs and cats are still being locked in Iams’ Dayton, Ohio laboratory for nutritional studies, and species other than dogs and cats are still vulnerable to being mutilated and killed under Iams’ “animal welfare policy.” As an industry leader IAMS is in a position to send a clear message: no animal deserves the fate of those who remain in their laboratories.

The IAMS Home 4 the Holidays campaign is about profiting off of the hard work done by shelters and adoption organizations and stealing the praise rightfully directed toward others. If IAMS were sincere in its efforts it would take the lead in its own campaign by giving the hundreds animals locked in its laboratories a home for the holidays.

For more information see IamsCruelty.com
iams home for the holidays new year poem | Happy 2009 on December 30th, 2008 12:46 am

[...] Hydrant - http://my-fire-hydrant.blogspot.com/ - References[ More results from My Fire Hydrant ]|||Iams Home 4 the Holidays Breaks Adoption Record : RushPRnews …4 Dec 2008 Iams Home 4 the Holidays Breaks Adoption Record Passing the 600000 Mark – And [...]