Children Before Children

Long before we decided to “have babies” we had 3 furry pets. A beautiful golden retriever, a frisky husky mix, plus a furry kitty. Our furry pets were our children before children. They came camping with us, canoeing with us, and snuggled with us. We trained them, taught them, and gave them endless amounts of attention. We had always been a bit ahead of our friends, so when we were starting our family with maternal babies they were starting to get furry babies. We laughed as we watch them go through the chapter we had already wrote.

Did you start your family with furry babies too?

So when I heard about Iams Home 4 the Holidays I was pretty excited to share this with my readers, because the commitment to bring furry pets into you home is a huge one to make. They are similar in so many ways to raising children, I have many stories I could share for the puppy days with our furry pets.

Iams Home 4 the Holidays

As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, Iams Home 4 the Holidays partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, the campaign began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 14 years ago, Iams Home 4 the Holidays has helped more than 7 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including more than 1.2 million pet adoptions last year alone. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/Iams or www.iams.ca

How Can Canadians Help?

Donating through Bags 4 Bowls – For those who are already pet parents like me, Iams will donate one bowl of food to a participating Iams Home 4 the Holidays animal organization for every specially marked package of Iams pet food purchased during the campaign. Which is a great way to support a cause doing what you already are doing.

Adopting from a local shelter – Every day more and more animals end up in shelters or in rescue care, and more than 25 per cent are pure breeds. This is important to keep in mind when deciding to bring a pet into your life, the animal you’re looking for is probably in your neighbourhood shelter. To find a participating animal shelter or rescue organization near you, visit iams.ca or facebook.com/iams

Volunteering – Shelters need volunteers to do everything from feeding, caring for and keeping rescue animals company, to assisting at events and fundraisers. If you can’t adopt but would still love to help do so as a volunteer.

Visiting Facebook.com/iams – Visit the Iams Facebook page and click to “Like” the page or various messages, photos, videos, etc. For each “Like” comment Iams will donate meals to participating animal shelters.

Last year alone, 1.2 million pets were adopted during the holiday campaign and an estimated 5 million meals were donated to pets in need. In Canada alone, over 75,000 animals found forever homes during the campaign.

 “With as many as 36 per cent* of animals euthanized every year in Canadian shelters, this campaign is a wonderful platform to raise awareness about pet adoption and homelessness,” said Barbara Cartwright, CEO, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. “This year we hope to debunk the myths that surround shelter animals and place deserving pets into the homes of loving families.”

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies

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.

P&G Pet Care 60 Years & Strong

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 (800) 525-4267. You can also visit us on the Web at www.iams.ca or www.eukanuba.com.

 Thank you for reading In R Dream!