Iams Home 4 the Holidays just concluded the ninth year of its pet adoption campaign, finding homes for nearly 500,000 orphaned animals. Fifty-one percent of adoptions were dogs, 45 percent were cats and 4 percent included rabbits, reptiles, birds, ferrets, and other pets.

The annual campaign draws in more than 2,600 participating animal shelters and rescue organizations from 16 countries. To date, more than 2 million pets have found homes.

"When we started this pet adoption drive in 1999, we had no idea it would grow to be the success it has so quickly," said Mike Arms, president and executive director of Helen Woodward Animal Center and founder of Home 4 the Holidays. "It's exciting that every year more participating animal organizations join our fight and most importantly, more and more pets find happy and loving homes."

Iams Home 4 the Holidays began nine years ago when Helen Woodward Animal Center organized 14 shelters in San Diego County, Calif. Iams is a partner in the campaign.