Community Corner
Maddie's Fund Pledges $3 Million to Save Local Animals
The Alameda-based foundation hopes to find homes for 3,000 dogs and cats at this year's Matchmaker Adoptathon in June, with pet adoptions at more than 80 locations throughout the Bay Area.
Summer can be the perfect time to make a new best friend — a furry, four-legged one.
Maddie's Fund is facilitating the matchmaking process with an adoptathon event on June 9 and 10. The goal is to find homes for 3,000 dogs and cats in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. More than 62 organizations will offer free pet adoptions at 80 locations during the two-day event.
This will be the third annual Maddie's Fund Adoptathon and the biggest yet, with a pledge of $3 million — double last year's amount — from the Alameda-based sponsor to participating Bay Area animal shelters. Each shelter or rescue group is paid between $500 and $2000 per adoption.
Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Last year's adoptathon found homes for 2,312 cats and dogs — a 28 percent increase from the 2010 event. Participating organizations also campaign for "hard-to-place" animals, which include those aged 7 years and older or with health conditions. Maddie's Fund pays $1000 to the shelters for each successful adoption of a senior pet, and $2000 for adoptions of pets with treatable health issues.
The Maddie's Fund Adoptathon honors the memory of the foundation’s namesake, a miniature schnauzer named Maddie who belonged to founder Dave Duffield and his wife Cheryl. Maddie was such a happy pup that the couple promised to find a way to make other animals happy too. The foundation was born in 1999, and the adoptathon began in 2010.
Find out what's happening in Alamedawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
“My family and I spent the weekend visiting many of the participating locations at last year’s Adoptathon,” said Dave Duffield, Maddie’s Fund founder, in a press release. “The joy we saw in the animals, as well as the volunteers and the adopters, is the reason we created Maddie’s Fund. The Adoptathon is a testament to what can be done when people come together in lifesaving and rally for acommon cause.”
A complete list of adoption locations for the Maddie's Fund Adoptathon 2012 is available online.
Are you considering making a new best friend this summer? Let us know in the comments below.
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