St. Paul, Minessotta, U.S.A – Monday, June 11th marked the first national day of no kill in animal shelters in the USA, and, according to Animal Ark and the No Kill Advocacy Center, the event organizers, between 7,000 and 9,000 animals were saved that day because of it.

For the event, called Just One Day, 766 animal welfare organizations, including municipal animal control centers, private animal shelters and rescue organizations took a pledge to not kill any healthy or treatable animals on June 11th. Euthanasia technicians put down their syringes and picked up cameras. Instead of sending them out the back door in body bags, they committed to sending them home to new families, by reaching out to their communities and asking for support. They hosted special adoption events and offered discounted adoption rates. The response was overwhelming.

From a small rescue in Chicago called St. Sophia’s Forgotten Felines who adopted 13 cats/kittens and transferred in 4 from high kill facilities, to Kern County’s Just One Day event that had 40 people waiting in line prior to opening, to the significant achievements of  B.A.R.C. in Houston which saved the lives of 231 animals, to Miami-Dade Animal Services that adopted 57 animals and reporting “many more hold commitments”, there was unprecedented life-saving all across the nation.”Some shelters literally ran out of animals,” said Nathan Winodgrad of the No Kill Advocacy Center. “With empty cages all over their shelters, many of them realized they were not going to have to kill any animals on June 12th , either. Many decided to continue their events each day for Just One More Day.”

“We proved that there are enough homes for shelter animals,” said Mike Fry of Animal Ark. “So long as the shelters engage the animal-loving American public in positive and constructive ways, they will swoop in to help the shelters to save lives.”

With the tremendous success of Just One Day 2012, the inauguration of the annual event, organizers expect many more shelters to participate in 2013.

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North Shore Animal League America – Home of the Mutt-i-gree  and the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization – announced that over 2,500 shelters in 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and six countries will join together for Pet Adoptathon Month in May.

Cesar Millan, internationally renowned dog expert and host of ‘The Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan’ on Nat Geo WILD, will serve as national spokesperson for this life-saving event sponsored by Purina ONE.

North Shore Animal League America will kick off the event at Pet Adoptathon Headquarters in New Yorkat 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 5th and remain open for 36 straight hours.  Thousands of participating shelters will host weekend Pet Adoptathon events promoting the benefits of shelter pet adoptions and showcasing the many beautiful and healthy animals that are available.

Pet Adoptathon activities will run through the month of May nationwide in an effort to raise awareness for shelter animals and save more lives.  Since its inception in 1995, Pet Adoptathon events have taken place all over the world, helping find permanent and loving homes for over 300,000 animals.

To promote shelter pets and animal welfare to the next generation, Millan partnered with the Animal League and Yale University School of the 21st Century to develop the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, which is currently in over 900 schools in 39 states and in Canada.

Cesar’s Millan Foundation funds the Curriculum, which highlights the unique characteristics of shelter pets and builds on the affinity between children and animals to provide a unique context in which to teach compassion, empathy and social responsibility.

“My vision is for a life-long healthy relationship between dogs and people, and supporting the rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of homeless animals through events like Pet Adoptathon is a vital piece of making that happen,” said Millan. ”With the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum, we are increasing awareness of shelter animals while supporting the development of calm, confident and caring children who can make a difference in the lives of people, animals and the environment.”

Pet Adoptathon promotes the adoption of shelter pets, known as Mutt-i-grees. An estimated 8 million – 10 million dogs, cats, puppies and kittens enter United States shelters annually, and tragically over 4 million of these precious animals are euthanized.  Millions of lives can be saved when potential pet parents make the choice to adopt a pet from a shelter or rescue group, instead of purchasing a pet from a pet store.

Pet Adoptathon is possible thanks to the support of Presenting Sponsor, Purina ONE, and Supporting Sponsors Nat Geo WILD and the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum.  For more information on Pet Adoptathon Month or to find a participating shelter near you, please visit www.AnimalLeague.org.

Image Courtesy of   Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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