FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Homeless NYC Dogs Help Celebrate the Year of the Dog in Chinatown Parade

New York, NY – Wednesday, February 1, 2006 – For the first time ever, adoptable shelter dogs decked out in bright orange "Adopt Me" vests will join the celebratory ranks of marching bands, elaborate floats, lion and dragon dancers, musicians, and magicians in one of Chinatown's most spectacular events — the Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade, on Sunday, February 5, 2006.

In keeping with this year's designation as the Year of the Dog, several dozen dogs from area shelters, including Animal Haven Shelter, Bide-A-Wee, the Humane Society of New York, and Animal Care & Control of NYC, will strut their stuff for the thousands of New Yorkers and visitors expected to attend the festive event.

"This is an exciting opportunity for New Yorkers to celebrate the Year of the Dog in a very significant way," says Jane Hoffman, President of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. "Dogs represent loyalty, unconditional love, and forgiveness. But here in NYC, thousands of wonderful dogs (and cats) are killed each year simply because they don't have homes. What could be more in keeping with the Year of the Dog than for more New Yorkers to open up their hearts and homes and adopt one of the thousands of wonderful dogs who end up at our city's shelters?"

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, of which all four of the shelters participating in the parade are members, is a coalition of approximately 100 animal shelters and rescue groups that are working with the City of New York to end the killing of healthy and treatable dogs and cats in the city within the next 10 years. In 2005, the Mayor's Alliance was awarded a multi-year grant from California-based Maddie's Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation, to fund a 10-year initiative to transform New York City into a no-kill community. "Maddie," the larger-than-life size Miniature Schnauzer mascot representing Maddie's Fund, will appear in Sunday's parade, marching alongside the adoptable dogs.

How can New Yorkers help transform New York into a no-kill city? Hoffman replies, "By adopting from a shelter or rescue group instead of pet shops and irresponsible breeders, and by spaying or neutering every companion animal, New Yorkers can help to make their city more humane and eventually help end the killing and suffering of thousands of homeless animals each year."

The parade will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Mott Street and wind throughout Chinatown, ending at Worth Street around 3:00 p.m.

Adopt a Little New Yorker Today!

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie's Fund, is a coalition of of approximately 100 animal rescue groups and shelters that are working with the City of New York to find homes for every cat and dog in the city who needs one. For more information about the Mayor's Alliance and its Participating Organizations, please visit the Alliance website at www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org.

Maddie's Fund, also known as The Pet Rescue Foundation, is a $240 million family foundation established in 1999 to help communities throughout the U.S. eliminate the unnecessary killing of healthy and treatable homeless animals merely because they do not have homes. The foundation was created by Dave Duffield, founder and Board Chairman of the Silicon Valley-based software giant PeopleSoft, and his wife, Cheryl, in honor of the beloved family Miniature Schnauzer, Maddie, who died in 1997. For more information about Maddie's Fund, please visit their website at www.maddiesfund.org.

Contact:

Steve Gruber, Director of Communications

Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

Phone: (917) 359-6003

Fax: (212) 591-6383

E-mail: news@AnimalAllianceNYC.org

Web: http://www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org

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