For the 2,000 homeless cats and dogs at Los Angeles Animal Services, Halo’s 10,000 meal donation of Spot’s Stew dry and canned food was the cat’s meow.

“The Halo donation is extra special to us,” says Linda Barth, assistant general manager of the city’s six shelters. “Wonderful for us.”

Receiving such a large donation — eaten by cats and dogs, kittens and puppies at two of the shelters — enabled the animals to eat one kind of food for an extended period of time, helping their bellies get used to a new food. “Animals are already under stress in an animal care center and already have digestive issues,” says Barth.

“It is great to be associated with this kind of product and Ellen DeGeneres,” Barth continues. “It is a boost that our organization is something that Halo wants to help, and is providing a natural food.”

The strays who enter the shelter following abuse particularly benefit from a food like Halo. “We would have used this food for animals who need to get healthy,” says Barth, “animals in trouble due to neglect.”

The donation was in partnership with Warner Brothers and L.A. station KNBC.

Barth and her veterinary medical and animal tech staff were so impressed with Halo’s top quality, they are now recommending it to people adopting pets.

Last year, Zachary Wilson visited his local shelter to find a second dog to adopt. He saw cages filled with dogs, most with three or four. It shocked Zach, then 9. It was quite different from when he had visited just five months before, when the cages were nearly empty. A shelter worker explained to Zach that people are losing their jobs and their homes and dumping their dogs to save money. “When I saw how many dogs there were I got really sad,” says Zach, who later told his mom “We have to feed the dogs. And she said, ‘He is fed’ and I said, “No mom, ALL the dogs.”

So Zach, now 10, thought of starting a food pantry near their home in an Orlando suburb for dogs and cats, with help from his mom, Erica Wilson. Called The Animal Pantry of Central Florida, they recently received 5,000 meals from Halo, Purely For Pets — thanks to a promise Halo part-owner Ellen DeGeneres made while visiting Orlando — as well as from pet stores and neighbors. A local shopping center donated a storefront for storage and distribution. Since April of 2009, Zachary, with the help of his Erica and other volunteers, has donated over 75,000 pounds of food, helping some 10,000 different animals (and hopefully keeping them with their families). “I feel very happy that I know all those dogs and cats aren’t let go in parks or being put in the shelters,” says Zach. “And I am very happy they stay with their owners.”

Halo’s donation last month came just at the right time. “I was really happy because when we got the Halo food, I was very relieved,” says Zach. “We were running low on cat food, it really helps.” Adds Erica: “Because the food is high end, we saved that for special needs dogs, or dogs who used to be on holistic food.”

Zach, a cub scout, is particularly drawn to animals who have special needs. Erica believes it’s due to his sister Lexi, 13, who is autistic and has cerebral palsy. “We think one of the reasons that Zach sees the world as he does is that he’s spent his entire world in and out of hospitals,” says Erica. “So when he hears that a dog has to be put down because it has a gimpy leg, to him that means his sister is unacceptable, just because anyone has a disability doesn’t make them any less.”

The economy around the Orlando area continues to struggle, with no unemployment found anywhere, says Erica. “What we are finding is that people are still not finding new jobs, many times people pull up (to the pet food pantry) in trucks,” she says. “They have gotten rid of their house, their clothes, their jewelry and all they have is their dog.”

The overabundance of dogs and cats in shelters due owners’ financial hardships hit Zach hard recently. A few weeks ago, Erica says a local shelter put down 500 animals, mostly purebred dogs whose owners gave them up for financial reasons. “Zach was just flabbergasted,” says Erica. “He burst out in tears and said we have to work harder.”
Here is a clip from NBC TV in Orlando about Zach and the Halo donation.

I just did this sweet story for PeoplePets.com, and I wanted to share it with you. A few weeks ago, two dogs escaped from an abusive situation in Florida. One of them, skinny and weak, had a 20-pound chain he was dragging. His friend, later named Brains, guided him through traffic in downtown West Palm Beach, nudging him along and waiting for him to make sure he was safe.

Two construction workers saw what was going on, scooped up the friends and brought them to the Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. Kay-Lynette Roca, founder of Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary heard of their plight, “I asked for the dogs because they were going to put them down,” says Roca. “It’s so crappy for them to survive all of that and [then be euthanized]. They have gone through too much.”

Meanwhile, Halo had already planned on donating 5,000 meals to Safe Harbor, because we heard it’s a top-notch sanctuary. This story has a very happy ending. Click here to find out.

Here’s another fantastic myth-busting Ad Council spot! See details below.

From my blogs posted on July 14, 2010 and July 21, 2010.

Have you seen the new Ad Council TV campaign of hilarious vignettes shedding light on how animals end up at shelters? It’s great!

According to the Humane Society of the United States, about 1 of 5 domestic dogs and cats in this country were adopted from shelters. If we can move that figure to 2 out of every 5, then nearly all of the 4 million shelter dogs and cats euthanized every year would have good homes!

One of the reasons people buy pets from pet stores, Internet sites, and breeders they don’t know is they think those dogs and cats will be healthier or better behaved than those in shelters. It’s a myth! This video series pokes fun at this common misconception.

Here’s another fantastic myth-busting Ad Council spot! See details below.

From my blog posted on July 14, 2010

Have you seen the new Ad Council TV campaign of hilarious vignettes shedding light on how animals end up at shelters? It’s great!

According to the Humane Society of the United States, about 1 of 5 domestic dogs and cats in this country were adopted from shelters. If we can move that figure to 2 out of every 5, then nearly all of the 4 million shelter dogs and cats euthanized every year would have good homes!

One of the reasons people buy pets from pet stores, Internet sites, and breeders they don’t know is they think those dogs and cats will be healthier or better behaved than those in shelters. It’s a myth! This video series pokes fun at this common misconception.