New York Stock Exchange Goes to the Dogs to Support Animal Causes

MASON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shelter and service dogs teamed up today to open and close the New York Stock Exchange raising awareness for pet adoption, service animals across the nation and celebrating the unconditional love between people and pets. Representatives from Procter & Gamble's (P&G) two leading pet care brands, Iams and Eukanuba, joined partners Helen Woodward Animal Center (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.), New York City's Bideawee and Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) to ring the opening and closing bells.

“people help animals and animals help people.”

Iams rang the closing bell in honor of Iams Home 4 the Holidays, one of the world's largest pet adoption drives. The campaign, in its 14th year, began Oct. 1, 2012 and runs through Jan. 2, 2013 and is a partnership between Iams and Helen Woodward Animal Center to give more orphaned pets a fresh start through adoption and nutrition to keep their bodies as strong as their love.

“We founded Iams Home 4 the Holidays to raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption,” said Mike Arms, founder of the adoption drive and president of Helen Woodward Animal Center. “Coming to the New York Stock Exchange to ring the bell is an honor and another great way to remind people who are considering a new 4-legged family member about some of the amazing pets waiting for their second chance at love.”

Eukanuba rang the opening bell with its partner in celebration of CCI's first IPO, a one of a kind Initial Puppy Offering, a fundraiser designed to provide highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing follow-up services to children and adults with disabilities, free of charge.

For more information, please visit the following web pages:

-- Iams Home 4 the Holidays				Animalcenter.org/home4theholidays
-- Iams				Facebook.com/Iams
-- Eukanuba				Facebook.com/Eukanuba
-- Canine Companions for Independence				Facebook.com/caninecompanions

About Iams Home 4 the Holidays

As one of the most successful pet adoption programs in the world, Iams Home 4 the Holidays partners with thousands of animal organizations dedicated to finding forever homes for orphaned pets. Founded by Helen Woodward Animal Center and supported by Iams, the campaign began in 1999 with just 14 participating animal shelters in San Diego County. Since it began 14 years ago, Iams Home 4 the Holidays has helped more than 7 million families experience the joy of pet adoption, including more than 1.2 million pet adoptions last year alone. For more information, please visit Facebook.com/Iams.

About Helen Woodward Animal Center

Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where “people help animals and animals help people.” Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 57,000 people and thousands of animals annually through adoptions, educational and therapeutic programs both onsite and throughout the community. Helen Woodward Animal Center is also the creator of the international Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive and the Animal Center Education Services program, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world. For more information, follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com/hwac or visit us at animalcenter.org or Facebook.com/helenwoodwardanimalcenter.

About Eukanuba

Eukanuba offers the most complete food lineup, delivering nutrition that is customized by breed and breed size as well as health and performance requirements. Eukanuba is a division of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), and you can visit us on the Web at www.eukanuba.com or at Facebook.com/Eukanuba.

About Canine Companions for Independence

About Canine Companions for Independence: Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has five regional training centers across the country and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. There is no charge for the dog, its training and ongoing follow-up services. For more information, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.

About P&G Pet Care

For more than 60 years, P&G Pet Care (NYSE:PG), the maker of Iams and Eukanuba, has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet care products. To learn more about Eukanuba^® and Iams^® Dog & Cat Foods or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Consumer Care Center at (800) 525-4267. You can also visit us on the Web at www.iams.com or www.eukanuba.com.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G serves approximately 4.6 billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, Ambi Pur®, SK-II®, and Vicks®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 75 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.