Pleasanton, CA, June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ten national animal welfare organizations came together this year to encourage the development and expansion of Return to Home programs, which help reunite lost pets with their loving families. Lost pets often go missing close to where they live, so the groups embarked on a challenge to bring the animals home, often before they ever entered their shelters.
The No Place Like Home Challenge, the first of its kind, helped 10,366 pets across 44 states find their way home during the month of March, with 275 animal welfare organizations starting or expanding Return to Home programs. The Challenge was co-funded by Michelson Found Animals Foundation and Maddie’s Fund®, in collaboration with Adoptimize, the ASPCA, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, Best Friends Animal Society, HeARTS Speak, the Humane Society of the United States, National Animal Care and Control Association and Petco Love.
“We are excited to see organizations from a majority of the country participate in this Challenge,“ said Mary Ippoliti-Smith, member of Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership Team. “The creativity in developing or expanding programs that put people and pets front and center is nothing short of remarkable.“
Animal shelter and rescue organizations ran free microchipping clinics, made Return to Home resources a focal point of their website, shared methods and tools for neighbors and community members to help each other return pets to their families, and animal service officers made efforts to return the pets to their homes before taking them to the shelter. At the end of the Challenge, 9,867 dogs and 499 cats were reunited.
Read the full article to see how Maui Humane Society ranked on Maddie’s Fund.
