'LX New York's' 'Maria's Pet Project' Celebrates 100th Shelter Dog Adoption on the Show

About LX New York

LX New York is a one-hour live daily lifestyle and entertainment show, produced by LX.TV and WNBC. The show airs weekdays at 5:00 p.m. ET on WNBC and repeats twice daily on New York Nonstop. LX New York focuses on what New York women ages 25 to 75 are talking about. Segments address the hot topics of the day, including relationships, sex, health, fitness, body image, dating, marriage, parenting, fashion, beauty, cooking, and celebrity gossip. Guests include celebrities, reality stars, and local New York figures, among others. LX.TV is a wholly owned subsidiary of NBC Local Media New York.

www.LXNewYork.com

About the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals

The Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie's Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation, with support from the ASPCA, is a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs) work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015.

www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org

Media Contacts

Carrie Hyman

M. Silver Associates

Office: (212) 754-6500 x225

E-mail: carrie@msilver-pr.com

Dawn Rowan

NBC 4 New York

Office: (212) 664-5247

dawn.rowan@nbcuni.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, November 1, 2010

LX New York's "Maria's Pet Project" Celebrates 100th Shelter Dog Adoption on the Show

Host Maria Sansone's weekly pet adoption segments, co-sponsored by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, features shelter dogs looking for loving homes

New York, NY – Monday, November 1, 2010 – This week, "Maria's Pet Project" and the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals achieved a milestone, celebrating the 100th successful adoption of a shelter dog during the weekly adoption segment. Each week, "Maria's Pet Project" on LX New York, WNBC's daily entertainment and lifestyle show, features a local animal shelter or rescue group and up to six of its dogs available for adoption on the show. The segment, hosted by Maria Sansone and supported by the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, airs live each Thursday at 5:00 p.m. ET on WNBC/Channel 4.

"Maria's Pet Project," which launched in March, encourages New Yorkers to adopt a shelter animal in need of a home rather than buy one from a pet store. Every segment includes information about each dog: name, age, breed, personality, why he or she ended up in rescue, and a couple of quirky facts about him or her (i.e., enjoys long strolls in the park, loves kids, favorite food, and more). The shelter's contact information is always posted on the screen so people can call in to find out how to adopt the "guest pets."

"Maria's love of dogs was obvious even in her very first adoption segment and since the viewers responded so positively, we decided to make it a regular feature," said Amy Rosenblum, Senior Executive Producer of LX New York. "'Maria's Pet Project' represents a new direction for the show and we are delighted that this weekly pet segment is not only a success, but Maria's efforts are actually savings dogs' lives each week, which is such a worthy endeavor."

To commemorate the adoption of the 100th dog from the show, host Maria Sansone will hold a special event in NYC to celebrate the occasion. The celebration will air live on LX New York on Thursday, November 4, 5:00–6:00 p.m. EST. Guest attendees will include all tri-state area rescue groups and shelters that have appeared on the show, as well as the families that have adopted pets featured on "Maria's Pet Project."

"We are deeply grateful to Maria and her team at WNBC, not only for providing these homeless dogs with a marvelous opportunity to find new homes, but also for their sensitivity and commitment to making it happen week after week," says Jane Hoffman, Mayor's Alliance President.

The Mayor's Alliance consists of approximately 150 participating animal rescue organizations, working together to reach a "no-kill" NYC goal by 2015 — meaning no animal of reasonable health and temperament is killed merely because he or she does not have a home.

Stay tuned each week to meet a wide variety of mixed and pure breeds. You'll also find out which dogs from the previous week found their new "forever" homes, learn more about each shelter and rescue group, pick up tips on how to care for your pet, and hear about exciting animal-related events in the tri-state area. Who knows — your next furry family member just might be featured on the show!

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