The best hope for the holidays

I love the holiday season!  What's not to love?   Good food and good cheer build enough bonhomie to really help drive the cold winter away!  This year, I have an added treat to look forward to as my daughter and her family will actually be home for the holidays!
It will be wonderful to see them!   With all you can eat long distance plans, we are able to chat everyday, but there is still no substitute for real face time!   It is really just frosting on the cake that I will get to meet my granddoggy as well!
My granddoggy was actually part of the IAM's Home for the Holiday's 2010 adoption drive!  How did my daughter find out?   Did the shelter she adopted from let her know she was helping make history?  Was the logo on their website?    Did she get one of the lovely adoption certificates for participants?
Sadly, no.   Indeed, odds are that if I wasn't such a proponent of the program,  they would never, ever have realized they were taking part in such a wonderful thing!
Really, it seems a shame to sign up for such a sweet deal and not take advantage of everything that is offered!    How did the participants do last year here in Nova Scotia?
Hmmm.    SHAID talked about their Home for the Holidays adoption incentive for their long term residents but never actually mentioned the program per se.  On Dec 13th, Metro put a news release on their front door mentioning their participation in a program that started in Oct.  
How are they doing this year?    So far the only sign of anything is (no surprise) from Atlantic Small Dog Rescue.   They had a lovely article on their front door that included the Home for the Holidays logo, their adoption goal and a status update on their adoptions so far!    And ... as an adopter on their email list, I was one of many who received an email with the delightful news that ASDR has now adopted EIGHT dogs this month!
Last week my daughter started going back to weight watchers.   Both she and her husband are such excellent cooks, eh?   She has always found it to be the most effective program for her. 
Why?  Because she actually follows the program of course.  As she says, if all one had to do to lose weight was go to the meetings, it would be standing room only every week!
The Home for the Holiday's program is no different.   Simply signing up for the program isn't going to boost adoptions!   How on earth can potential adopters possibly connect the heart warming commercials on TV with rescues and shelters unless somebody lets them know?
(The topic of how a certain branch still isn't using the free Petfinder service to list the adoptables in it's crowded shelter is an interesting subject that has, and will again, keep being discussed here until the practice actually changes ... sigh )
What time is it?   It is always time to remember that participating in (free) pet adoption programs is ALWAYS going to be more effective if one actually lets the world know!  At the end of the day, using all the free tools provided is  really is the best Hope for the Holidays!