1.1 Million Homeless Animals Adopted in Just 96 Days Through 2010 Iams Home 4 the Holidays Pet Adoption Drive

MASON, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's largest pet adoption campaigns, Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) announced today that 1,125,667 animals were adopted between Oct. 1 and Jan. 4. Iams and longtime partner Helen Woodward Animal Center, along with more than 3,500 animal organizations from around the world once again joined forces to help reduce pet homelessness.

Forever homes were found for:

• 593,146 dogs
• 509,470 cats
• 23,051 other animals (including rabbits, reptiles, horses, birds and more)

"With all the hard work that animal organizations do every day, we're thrilled to be able to support those efforts and shine an even brighter light on the issues and the importance of pet adoption each year with this program," said Mike Arms, founder of Iams Home 4 the Holidays and president of Helen Woodward Animal Center. "We're all very proud of the successes we've had over the years and will continue to work together in the hopes that one day every homeless pet will be in a loving home for all their holidays."

Understanding that not everyone is in the position to adopt a pet, Iams wanted to make it easy for more people to get involved and help make a difference by creating the Bags 4 Bowls food drive. Consumers could either purchase specially-marked bags of pet food or interact on the Facebook page (www.facebook.com/iams) to help donate bowls of pet food to participating organizations. An incredible success, the food drive reached its goal and Iams is donating 5,000,000 meals to participating animal organizations.*

"We're proud that we've been a part of this program since it began in 1999 and we've helped more than 5 million pets find loving homes," said Maria Beatriz Rodriguez, Iams general manager. "We're dedicated to continuing our mission with our partner animal organizations to ensure more and more pets find their forever homes."

The 2011 program will begin in October. To learn how to get involved and make a difference in the life of an orphaned pet, visit http://www.facebook.com/iams for ways to adopt, donate or volunteer.

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 5.8 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including more than 1.2 million pet adoptions from 2010. For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/iams.

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 Consumer Care Center at (800) 446-3075. You can also visit us on the Web at www.iams.com or www.eukanuba.com.  

About Procter & Gamble

Four billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 127,000 employees working in about 80 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.  

* Meal size based on one feeding for an average size dog or cat. Meals will be distributed to participating IH4TH organizations

SOURCE Iams