Rachael Ray and ASPCA $100K Challenge Saves Pets

Southampton resident and animal advocate Rachael Ray’s 2013 ASPCA $100K Challenge, a three-month contest in June, July and August for animal shelters vying for prize grants, resulted in more than 18,000 adoptions in June alone. As we come to the end of July, unconfirmed numbers indicate more than 28,000 pets have been adopted into loving homes.

The $100K Challenge is a national competition to inspire animal shelters—and those who support them—to go above and beyond to increase pet adoption, reunite lost pets with their families and save more animals’ lives. This initiative includes 50 shelters across the country, all of which are competing to break their own records at saving animals’ lives.

For the past three years, shelters have used the $100K Challenge to energize their teams, rally their communities and blast through their previous records for saving lives. In 2010, competing shelters achieved a 7,362 increase in lives saved and in 2011, the numbers climbed higher when contestants increased lives saved by an incredible 8,977.  In 2012, contestants soared way ahead of their fellow competitors from prior years with an increase in lives saved of 14,376.

Challengers saved exactly 18,336 lives in June this year by adopting out pets or reuniting them with their guardians. These impressive totals mean the shelters improved their numbers by saving a total 4,380 more lives than they did even in June of 2012, which was already a banner year.

Winners of the $100K Challenge will earn $600,000 in prize grants, including a $100,000 grand prize for the shelter that increases lives saved the most.

Visit aspca.org to learn more about the challenge and follow the minute-by-minute blog. Also don’t miss the $100K Challenge Photo Contest featuring pictures of all the happy pets.