In 1999 Helen Woodward Animal Center organized 14 animal shelters in San Diego County, California for the first, "Home 4 the Holidays" pet adoption drive. Our goals were to encourage families to save lives by adopting their pets and to take business away from puppy mills and backyard breeders while shelter pets died. That holiday season the participating shelters found loving families for 2,563 orphaned pets.

That was only the beginning!

Hilary Swank 2009 H4TH Ambassador

In 2000 Home 4 the Holidays grew to include 130 animal shelters and rescue groups in five states. Once again we worked hand-in-paw. The result was 20,000 adoptions and a drop in the rate of euthanasia at the participating shelters.

Word of our success spread quickly and the third annual Home 4 the Holidays campaign grew to include 450 groups in four countries. We were reminded that animals have no borders. Working together we completed more than 100,000 adoptions, making H4TH the largest pet adoption drive in history. Since then we've never looked back.

In its first ten years Iams Home 4 the Holidays has united 3,278,267 orphaned pets with their new families. Our goal for IH4TH 2009 is 1.5-million adoptions.

Participating rescues and shelters receive materials to assist them in marketing their adoptable animals and receiving the most benefit from their participation in Home 4 the Holidays. Go to Home 4 The Holidays