More than 36,000 pets saved in first two months of ASPCA $100K Challenge

Via PR Web- The ASPCA has announced that 36,790 pets were adopted or reunited with their owners during the first two months of the 2013 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, a three-month competition where 49 animal shelters from across the country are working to increase adoptions in order to win a piece of the more than $600,000 in prize grants.

During the first two months of the contest, many shelters continued to try new methods of driving traffic to their adoption centers – many held big adoption events, unique promotions and discounts on adoption fees and more.

“Not only are both the shelters and animals winning, but so are the new families,” said Bert Troughton, vice president of community outreach for the ASPCA. “We’ve heard from hundreds of new adopters who have submitted entries to this year’s photo contest, proudly showing off photos of their newly adopted family pets.”

The 49 contestants are working to save more animals during the months of June, July and August than they did over the same three-month period in 2012. Last year's competing shelters saved more than 56,000 cats and dogs during the contest, an increase of 14,376 over the same period in 2011.

The ASPCA and Rachael Ray will award a $100,000 grand prize to the shelter contestant that achieves the greatest increase in lives saved during this three-month period. The contestant that does the best job of engaging its community members in helping to save more animals will win $25,000.

Those organizations that do the best in their divisions will be eligible for between $10,000 and $25,000 in additional grants. In total, $600,000 in grant funding will be awarded for increases in animal lives saved, as well as a photo contest and general participation.

The ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge is a groundbreaking contest that challenges animal shelters across the country to come up with innovative ways to engage their communities and get more homeless cats and dogs into loving homes.