Petco Foundation is making Holiday Wishes come true for animal welfare organizations

The Petco Foundation, in partnership with Petco, has revealed the names of 52 stories that have earned their animal welfare organizations a grant investment through the fifth annual Holiday Wishes campaign.

This year, the Petco Foundation will deliver a total of $765,000 in grant awards during Holiday Wishes celebrations from now until December 20– including one $100,000 grand prize, and a series of finalist awards ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 to support the tremendous lifesaving efforts carried out by these deserving organizations year-round.

Thousands of adopters from across the United States shared personal accounts of how their adopted pets changed their lives giving the animal welfare organizations they adopted from the chance to receive a Holiday Wishes grant. The adopters with the winning stories will each receive a Petco gift card of up to $1,000.

"Every year these touching Holiday Wishes stories fill our hearts with joy. Each story perfectly illustrates how a pet's love changes everything – whether it is simply making one's routine much more enjoyable by sharing it with a pet or a more of a life changing or lifesaving impact of a pet in one's life," said Susanne Kogut, Executive Director of the Petco Foundation.

"That's why at the Petco Foundation we're thrilled to celebrate that love with the individuals and families who share their experiences with us as well as reward the animal welfare organizations who work so hard year-round to save lives."

While the stories range from inspiring to humorous, and even a few lifesaving narratives, each celebrates how these adopted pets positively changed and enriched the adopters' lives. The following submission is just one of the finalists for the “Holiday Wishes” campaign:

Nominator Jim Case was restless after retiring from his job as a firefighter until he adopted Grace from the Animal Welfare League of Charlotte County in Florida. "Rescue work is in my blood… [I missed] serving the people in my community," said Jim. He knew that Grace was smart, well-behaved and could be perfect for search and rescue. Now Jim and Grace provide rescue services to local, state, and federal law enforcement. They are ready 24 hours a day, and they couldn't be happier or more fulfilled.

The Petco Foundation invites all animal lovers to play a role in making Holiday Wishes come true. From now until December 20, 2017, fans can read all finalist stories and vote for their favorites to win the "People's Choice Award" at petcofoundation.org/holidaywishes.

The five organizations with the most votes will receive additional funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to support their lifesaving work. Results of the "People's Choice Award" will be revealed before Christmas.

Animal lovers can join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by using the hashtags #HolidayWishes and #PetcoFamily. To learn more about the Petco Foundation's lifesaving mission, visit petcofoundation.org.