I've always been a big pet lover, and pet adoption is something that is really important to me. I was lucky enough to adopt my German shepherd, Tarkus Arlicicus, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without having pets around. I've even been known to pick up homeless pets while on tour to try and find good homes for them.
While I was able to give Tarkus a forever home, there are millions of pets that never get that second chance. In fact, every year eight million pets end up in shelters across North America. About half of these adoptable pets, or 11,000 every day, will be euthanized because they don't have homes. These numbers seem staggering, but the good news is that pet homelessness is a solvable problem and there are many ways to make a difference.
Adopting a pet is one way to directly impact the number of pets in shelters. By opening up your life and home to a pet, you can make space at the shelter for more pets to come in and stay longer, giving them a better chance of finding a home. Adoption doesn't take a hero and it's easy to do. As long as you're ready to love and care for a pet, you can help save a life. Adopting Tarkus was one of the best decisions I've made, and I felt good knowing that I could make a difference in the lives of other homeless pets.
I've teamed up with PetSmart Charities this holiday season to bring awareness to the millions of pets that need homes, and to encourage others to get involved. If you aren't able to adopt, giving back by donating can also make a big impact. Just $25 can save the life of a pet, and donations allow organizations like PetSmart Charities to fund adoption programs and support more than 2,000 local animal rescue groups across North America. Together, PetSmart Charities has helped save more than five million pets to-date with the goal of saving millions more. A donation of $25 will provide necessities like shelter space, food and veterinarian services and can make an easy and meaningful gift for you or a fellow pet lover this holiday.
No matter how you're able to help, you can bring us one step closer to ending the pet homelessness problem for good. Join me in rocking this holiday season by celebrating saving a pet's life today.
This year, Michaels teamed up with PetSmart® to create a Chance plush toy from the retailer's Chance and Lucky line that gives 10 percent of proceeds to benefit PetSmart Charities.