Which Paw Touched Your Heart This Holiday Season?

RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- A loving mommy cat and her litter of kittens rescued from the snowy yard of a foreclosed property. A beautiful German Shepherd abandoned in an empty house when its owners moved. A frightened puppy, "Hope" sealed in a box with duct tape then left in the gutter with the trash. These were just a few of the 1,363,638 pets that were adopted during the 11th annual Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive. Now the public is being called upon to choose the most heart-warming pet adoption story of the year.

"These stories all have happy endings but for some of them it was a long, hard battle. Some make you cry, others make you laugh, they all touch your heart," says Mike Arms, President of Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. and creator of the international Iams Home 4 the Holidays (IH4TH) pet adoption drive. "We need help from animal lovers worldwide to select the most heart-warming and most successful pet adoption story from this past holiday season."

More than 3,900 animal shelters and pet rescue organizations in 17 countries joined paws to save the lives of orphaned pets during the 11th annual IH4TH campaign October 1, 2009 through January 4, 2010. Each group was invited to submit their best pet adoption success stories.

"There are so many great stories about pets that were saved during the holiday season. Now they're starting the new year with a new, 'leash' on life," says Arms. "We've narrowed this down to the top five. Between now and February 28 we're asking people to vote on their favorite story. The animal shelter or rescue group that submitted the winning entry will receive a $500 donation from Helen Woodward Animal Center."

Arms reminds animal lovers, "One vote per person. This isn't about which organization can convince the most people to vote. It's about which story touches your heart."

To read the top five stories and cast your vote log on to www.animalcenter.org and click on "Global."

For more information about Iams Home 4 the Holidays or to locate participating animal shelters and pet rescue groups log on to www.iamshome4theholidays.com.

SOURCE Helen Woodward Animal Center