15,000 Dogs, Cats Get New Homes During Maddie's Pet Adoption Days

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®.  

This represents a 78% increase over last year’s 8,432 adoptions during this annual two-day event.  Maddie's Fund® originally set aside $10 million to underwrite the adoptions managed by participating organizations this year, but the total donation amount is likely to be much higher. 

Now in its fifth year, Maddie’s® Pet Adoption Days spanned 591 cities in nine states across the country.  More than 200 shelters and rescue groups worked tirelessly over the two days to give homeless pets a second chance.  Communities throughout the U.S. were buzzing with adoption events, and many locations had people lined up hours before their doors opened.  Here in the Bay Area, a total of 4,464 dogs and cats found their forever homes.

“As we near our goal of a no-kill nation by 2015, we are thrilled at the sheer number of people who visited all of the 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.”

Related article: Adopt a Pet for Free in East Bay During Maddie’s Fund Adoption Days

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 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.

Related blog: 

• Today is the Day!