Celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, November 6–12, 2005

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) invites you to celebrate this year’s National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week from November 6–12, 2005. This event is designed to help you reach out to your community and highlight the truly lifesaving work done by animal shelters like yours around the country.

Following hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, animal care and control professionals from around the country poured into the affected areas along the Gulf Coast. They brought their own equipment and vehicles—and their passion. They often surrendered their vacation time and personal comfort to rescue and shelter thousands of animals in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida. With those sacrifices in mind, The HSUS is celebrating National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, November 6-12, by honoring public and private animal shelters not only for the important work they do for animals year-round, but also for their dedication to animals affected by this year's disasters. Read the full story at www.hsus.org/shelterweek.

"Super Shelter Stories" Contest Highlights Shelters for Their Great Work

In July, The HSUS’s “Super Shelter Stories” contest drew almost 400 submissions, each highlighting an animal shelter that made a vast difference in some person or animal’s life. Patrick McDonnell, creator of the Mutts® comic, chose a story about love at first sight between a boy and a shelter dog submitted by Mark Morell, a shelter volunteer, as the winning entry. McDonnell's interpretation of the story will appear as a Mutts comic in newspapers around the world on Sunday, November 6, officially kicking off National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week.

In addition to having his story featured in a Mutts comic strip, with its estimated daily readership of 50 million people, Morell will receive an autographed, framed original of the Mutts strip that his story inspired, a pair of round-trip airline tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies, and a Basic Level Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan® from Banfield, The Pet Hospital®. The six runners-up will receive an autographed Mutts print.

For the shelters the winning stories were inspired by, the rewards are even greater. The shelter featured in Morell's story, Garden City Animal Shelter, will receive $2,500, provided by Hills® Science Diet® and The HSUS, and free food for a year for shelter animals from Hills® Science Diet®.

The six shelters featured in the runners-up stories, Winona Area Humane Society, Somerset Regional Animal Shelter, Oregon Humane Society, Northeast Animal Shelter, Chicago Anti-Cruelty Society, and Humane Society of Washington County, will receive $1,000, provided by Hills® Science Diet® and The HSUS, and free food for one year from Hills® Science Diet®.

The stories receiving prizes, as well as the hundreds of other entries received, are all heartwarming examples of the amazing work local animal welfare professionals perform for their communities. McDonnell hopes that the public will be inspired to act on their desire to help animals as a result of the "Super Shelter Stories" contest, telling the public, "Please, the next time you are looking for a companion animal, adopt," he said. "If you have some time to spare, volunteer at your local shelter. Your life will be enriched for it, and you will make a difference in the lives of animals as well."

Special Offer from Banfield, The Pet Hospital

Banfield, The Pet Hospital®, an official sponsor of National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week 2005, is offering all adopters a complimentary health screening for any pet adopted during the week-long event. Download the letter and certificate from Banfield describing this offer. Shelters may photocopy the letter and certificate as many times as they like and distribute to their adopters. Please visit www.Banfield.net for more details.

Thank you for the amazing work you do for animals and your communities every day!

National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week is sponsored by: