Blue Buffalo and Petco Were Able To Raised Over $2.4 million For Cancer Research Maddie's Fund Were Able To Adopt Over 15,000 Pets In Two Days

Two companies exceed their goal in their 5th annual fundraising drive

 Blue Buffalo® and Petco™ raised more than $2.4 million during the month of May, which was their 5th Annual Pet Cancer Awareness Month.  The figure was the highest in the history of their fundraising push, and exceeded the $2 million goal they set out to raise.  One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to benefit pet cancer research and the families affected by this terrible disease.

Blue Buffalo and Petco have partnered together for the past five years, raising over $7 million since 2010. May was chosen as Pet Cancer Awareness month because it is a time of year when people put down yard fertilizers, spray for fleas and tics etc., which causes an increase in environmental toxins that many veterinarians feel contribute to pet cancer.

Cancer will affect one out of every four dogs in the U.S., and of those, more than half will die from the disease.  In fact, cancer is the number one disease-related cause of death in both dogs and cats, according to Morris Animal Foundation, a world leader in advancing veterinary research. 

"We are overwhelmed by this response," said Bill Bishop, founder of Blue Buffalo.  "I want to thank all of Blue Buffalo's Pet Parents and everyone else who made this our most successful Pet Cancer Awareness month ever.  This issue is very personal to us at Blue Buffalo.  Our family dog Blue had three bouts with cancer which is why we wanted to do something meaningful to help find a cure for this devastating disease.  So one of the first things we did after starting our pet food company was to establish the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research to begin fund raising and start increasing awareness among pet parents of the early warning signs of this disease." And, while funding research is critical, awareness of the warning signs is equally important as early detection of cancer is key to successful treatment; especially since approximately eighty percent of pet parents know little to nothing about pet cancer symptoms.

During the month of May, for each bag of BLUE dog or cat food purchased at Petco stores across the country, Blue Buffalo donated one dollar to the fund.  Money raised will fund efforts like the Morris Animal Foundation's 5-5-5 Initiative, which will conduct five annual clinical trials on osteosarcoma, the most common form of bone cancer in dogs, and a form of cancer that also affects children.

Funds will also be distributed to universities and clinics across the country that are conducting research on the causes, prevention and treatment of canine and feline cancer, as well as to various organizations that are dedicated to helping families in need cover the cost of cancer treatments.

For more information, visit petcancerawarness.org.  To find a Petco store near you, visit petco.com.

About Blue Buffalo and the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research

Blue Buffalo Company, located in Wilton, CT, is the nation's leading natural pet food company, and provides a complete line of healthy and holistic natural foods and treats for dogs and cats under the BLUE brand name. The Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research ( a 501 (c) 3) was established in 2003 by The Blue Buffalo Company, Ltd. Blue Buffalo products are sold nationwide in Petco and other leading pet specialty stores.  For more information visit BlueBuffalo.com.


 

Maddie's Fund Exceeds Goal with over 15,000 Pet Adoptions in Two Days

Pledge amount rises to more than $10 million

 An unprecedented 15,000[1] dogs and cats, and counting, 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, 4,464 (and counting) 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."

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.

 About Maddie's Fund 

Maddie's Fund^® is a family foundation endowed by the founder of Workday^® and PeopleSoft, Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl. Maddie's Fund is helping to achieve and sustain a no-kill nation by providing solutions to the most challenging issues facing the animal welfare community through grant giving, hands-on animal care, and research and education. Maddie's Fund is named after the family's beloved Miniature Schnauzer who passed away in 1997.