Indiana (December 7th, 2006) – Are you making a list of all the holiday gifts you want to give this season? Indiana-PAW wants you to add another gift to your list: the gift of life.

From now through January 2nd, 2007, more than 2,400 animal shelters and rescue groups around the world, including 88 Indiana groups, will join paws for Home 4 The Holidays 2006, an international pet adoption campaign designed to match homeless pets with loving families, so they don't spend the holidays in shelters, and can avoid euthanasia. Indiana-PAW, a non-profit organization dedicated to Indiana animal welfare education, reminds citizens that adopting a homeless Hoosier pet couldn’t be easier this holiday season.

• Adopt An Indiana-PAW Featured "Pet Of The Week." Because there are thousands of healthy, loving animals awaiting adoption at Indiana animal shelters and rescue groups, Indiana-PAW, in partnership with Lucky Dog Retreat, an Indianapolis daycare and boarding facility, spotlights the photos and detailed biographical information of some of these wonderful pets through the "Pet Of The Week" feature at Indiana-PAW's website. Click here to see Indiana-PAW "Pets Of The Week."
• Adopt A Pet At An Indiana Shelter Or Rescue Agency Near You. Indiana-PAW’s "Super Database," sponsored by Petlane, a pet product specialty store, is the most comprehensive animal-related database in Indiana, and lists contact information for more than 300 animal shelters and rescue groups. No matter where you live in Indiana, there is a shelter or rescue agency with wonderful adoptable pets near you. Click here to visit the Indiana-PAW/Petlane "Super Database" to find a shelter or rescue group near you!
• Find A Pet Through Petfinder.com. Petfinder is an on-line, searchable database of animals across the country who need homes. Any Hoosier with internet access can visit Petfinder, type in their zip code and basic criteria they’re looking for in a pet (e.g., age, breed, and size), and get a list of pets meeting this criteria in Indiana shelters! Finding the perfect four-legged companion couldn't be easier at the Petfinder website!

Indiana-PAW Founder and Executive Director, Amy Van Ostrand, reminds citizens that even if they cannot adopt a homeless pet this holiday season, there are other ways to help. Van Ostrand says, "The holidays tend to bring out generosity in folks, and there are so many wonderful ways to be generous to Indiana’s forgotten animals this season." Van Ostrand offers the following examples:

• Support Your Local Shelter Or Rescue Group's Events. Many Indiana shelters and rescue groups are running holiday fundraisers and events. For example, Countryside Animal Rescue, Floyd County Animal Rescue, and the Animal Protection Association of Jeffersonville will each hold "Picture Your Pet with Santa" events. And Cats Haven, the Humane Society of Hamilton County, and the Indiana Horse Rescue will be holding holiday open-houses and fundraisers. Click here to visit the Indiana-PAW "Super Calendar" to find out about these events and more!
• Join The Indiana-PAW Foster Program. Indiana-PAW is in dire need of citizens willing to join its flagship program, the Indiana-PAW Foster Program. This program supplies citizens willing to foster animals to Indiana animal shelters and rescue groups, who then utilize these fosters to provide temporary care for animals who would otherwise have to be euthanized. If you want to be a hero to homeless Hoosier pets, click here to visit the Indiana-PAW website today, and sign up to become a foster parent!

About Indiana-PAW

Indiana-PAW is a 501(c)(3) non-profit all-volunteer organization dedicated to Indiana animal welfare education. Its mission is to use education and advocacy to reduce the number of companion animals who are euthanized in Indiana, and to cultivate in the community a sense of respect for the needs of those animals with whom we share our world. For more information, visit www.indiana-paw.com.