Archive: Around Town

An unprecedented 15,000 dogs and cats found homes this past weekend at the nation’s largest free pet adoption event, Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days, sponsored by Maddie’s Fund®.  The SPCA of Tompkins County participated in this annual two-day event by finding forever homes for 99 local dogs and cat and raising and estimated $75,000 for the SPCA of Tompkins County.

Now in its fifth year, Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days spanned 591 cities in nine states across the country, including Ithaca for the first time.   Communities were buzzing with adoption events, and many locations had people lined up hours before their doors opened.

“As we near our goal of a no-kill nation by 2015, we are thrilled at the sheer number of people who visited participating locations over the weekend,” said Maddie’s Fund president Rich Avanzino.  “We congratulate the groups on a successful event, and applaud the thousands of people who opened their hearts and homes to a shelter pet this weekend.”

Inspired by one family’s love for a Miniature Schnauzer, Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days has found homes for more than 30,000 homeless dogs and cats since 2010.  For each pet adopted, Maddie’s Fund gives participating shelters from $500 to $2,000 to cover the true costs of those adoptions.  This funding enables the shelters and rescue groups to save and treat more animals throughout the year.

“Each year, Cheryl and I see the spirit of Maddie at every adoption location we visit," said Maddie’s Fund founder Dave Duffield. "It's a tribute to her legacy and the power of one little dog to inspire a movement and bring communities together to find thousands of animals loving homes."

Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days grew 78% over last year’s 8,432 adoptions.  Maddie's Fund originally set aside $10 million this year to underwrite the adoptions managed by participating shelters and rescue groups, but the total donation amount is likely to be much higher.

Maddie was a beloved four-legged family member of Dave Duffield, founder of Workday® and PeopleSoft, and his wife, Cheryl.  For the last five years, Maddie’s Fund, their family foundation, has sponsored Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days to honor her memory.

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