NEW ORLEANS (October 9, 2007) — The leaders of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Maddie’s Fund® are in New Orleans to formally announce a new partnership with animal services and sheltering organizations throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, fueled by a research-based strategy designed to address the tremendous pet overpopulation challenge in the Gulf Coast region. The Humane Society of the United States and Maddie's Fund have offered nearly $1 million in grant funding to these organizations as part of a full-scale effort to improve the lives of dogs and cats in the two states.

The joint project, dubbed, "After Katrina: Improving the Lives of Gulf Coast Dogs & Cats," provides crucial groundwork for an anticipated $2 million, two-state social marketing campaign to encourage Louisiana and Mississippi pet-owning families to spay and neuter their pets - reducing the number of animals entering shelters and facing euthanasia.

“We have been to these shelters and seen firsthand what they’re up against," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. "There are too many animals teeming into Gulf Coast animal shelters and we need to shut off the valve at the source. Thanks to the generosity of Maddie’s Fund, we are in a position to offer a helping hand."

Representatives from The HSUS and Maddie’s Fund® met personally with the leaders of animal services and sheltering organizations across Louisiana and Mississippi to discuss the project and present cash grants of up to $20,000 to organizations that agreed to track and share animal intake and outcome figures for the years 2005-2010. The grants will be used to help with this task and advance these agencies’ missions to help their community's homeless dogs and cats. As part of this project, The HSUS and Maddie’s Fund expect to grant a total of $852,500 to 54 shelters across Louisiana (31) and Mississippi (23). Shelters plan to use the funds on capacity-building, low-cost spay-neuter programs, new equipment for surgical suites, better disease control systems, and building improvements.

"Thanks to The Humane Society of the United States, a new day is dawning for the cats and dogs of Louisiana and Mississippi," said Maddie's Fund President, Rich Avanzino. "We are proud to be a part of this lifesaving endeavor."

Grants are being awarded at events being held this week in New Orleans; Gulfport, Mississippi; and Jackson, Mississippi. For more updates on the week’s events, please visit Pacelle’s blog at http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/ . CEO Wayne Pacelle will be posting regular dispatches from the road as he makes his way across the Gulf Coast.

·        In Louisiana and Mississippi, the incidence of dog ownership is higher than the national average, while cat ownership is significantly lower. An October 2006 telephone survey conducted by The HSUS of Louisiana and Mississippi households revealed that 42 percent of households include one or more dogs and 21 percent include one or more cats. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, in 2006, 39 percent of U.S. households include one or more dogs and 34 percent include one or more cats.

·        National estimates indicate that approximately 70 percent of dogs and 84 percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered. According to the October 2006 survey conducted by The HSUS, only 51 percent of dogs and 77 percent of owned cats are spayed or neutered. When considered along with significant stray populations, these lower rates of pet sterilization are a major factor in the high rates of animal relinquishment and abandonment.

·        Results of the preliminary research conducted last fall are available online at: http://www.humanesociety.org/gulfcoastphase1report .

·        The HSUS estimates that Louisiana and Mississippi animal shelters take in an estimated 230,000 abandoned dogs and cats each year. The 54 shelters that have agreed to participate in the “After Katrina” project handle 88 percent of the states’ impounded animals.

·        Maddie’s Fund is underwriting a significant portion of the social marketing research being conducted by The HSUS. Maddie’s Fund has also committed two-thirds of the grant funds for every animal shelter joining the “After Katrina” project. The HSUS led the shelter data collection and social marketing research effort committed the final third in grant funds for every animal shelter agreeing to participate.

·        Grants are being awarded to participating organizations based on their most recent annual animal intake totals. Grants amounts range from $10,000 for shelters handling fewer than 500 animals last year to $20,000 for shelters handling more than 5,000 animals last year. The average grant awarded is about $16,000 with Maddie’s Fund contributing roughly $600,000 in grant funds and HSUS another $270,000.

The Humane Society of the United States ( www.humanesociety.org ) is the nation's largest animal protection organization—backed by 10 million Americans, or one of every 30. For more than a half-century, The HSUS has been fighting for the protection of all animals through advocacy, education, and hands-on programs. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty.

Maddie’s Fund®, The Pet Rescue Foundation ( www.maddiesfund.org ) is funded by PeopleSoft and Workday Founder Dave Duffield, and his wife, Cheryl, to help create a no-kill nation. Maddie’s Fund is named after the family’s beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.