About National Pet Idol

National Pet Idol is an Idol-type contest benfiting RESCUE, a registered 501(c)3 organization dedicated to saving the lives of animals on euthanasia lists. Contestants submit photos of their pets and viewers place votes for their favorites. Proceeds from these submissions and votes benefit RESCUE.

There are three rounds of voting with the winners of each round proceeding to the next. The winners are those entries receiving the most votes. At the end of the last round, the final winners are chosen and they receive prizes from our sponsors.

About RESCUE

RESCUE is a registered non-profit volunteer based animal rescue organization located in Maricopa County. Unlike organizations such as the Arizona Humane Society or Animal Care and Control, RESCUE has no central facility and is volunteer run. Our focus is euthanasia list rescue from our county shelters. We were founded in 1995, and with the support of our volunteers and our community, we have found homes for over 8,800 dogs and cats. Our motto is for every animal adopted, we are back to rescue another. Maricopa County has one of the highest euthanasia rates per capital in the country, so we have much work to do on behalf of these animals. We depend on the community for our support and offer a variety of satisfying ways for you to get involved in our mission to end euthanasia. For example, you can become volunteer, adopt or donate. For more information about RESCUE and our programs, please visit us on-line at www.azrescue.org.

Our Animals

At any one time we have between 20-40 dogs and 40-80 cats in our system. Each were rescued from the euthanasia list of our extremely overburdened Animal Care & Control Services. These cats and dogs were literally hours away from their death when we offered them a second chance at life. We have a "no-kill" policy and keep our cats and dogs until they find a loving, permanent home. The majority of our animals reside in volunteer Foster Homes, the remainder are located in our leased boarding facilities. Take a look for yourself and see first hand these wonderful animals by visiting our virtual adoption center on-line at www.azrescue.org.

What We Do

We provide the public with a unique service: we match pets with their new people! At RESCUE we endeavor to learn everything we can about the animals in our care. We then combine that with the information you've shared with us about you, your family, and your ideal pet to match you with RESCUE animals that will make a wonderful permanent addition to your family. We will address all of your concerns about adopting a new pet and we will also help you make sure all the important questions are considered in an attempt to match you with an animal that will be the best suited for you and your lifestyle. We will do everything in our power to set you and your new pet up for success. This necessitates a detailed understanding of your ideal pet, your lifestyle, and your needs and expectations.

Our MatchMaker Service forges a partnership between our adopter and our volunteers. These partnerships will lead to a day when our Animal Care and Control facilities and Humane Society will no longer be faced with killing more than 200 animals on a typical day in Maricopa County just because there is no more space to house these orphans. There will be a day when the kennels are empty because matches between people and animals have resulted in loving lifetime relationships.

Vision and Mission

Our vision is to elevate the status of animals in society through facilitating a culture change in how people acquire animals and how they commit to those animals they choose to make a part of their family.

Our commitment is to serve:

The Animals

• by striving to place them in permanent and loving homes
• by providing individual attention to their personal well-being
• by supplying a temporary, comfortable and protected waiting place

The Volunteers

• by representing our mission consistently
• by recognizing them as the source of our strength
• by allowing unique expressions of talents resulting in individual satisfaction

The Community

• by educating the public of the extreme importance for sterilization of animals
• by assisting families in their goal to adopt an animal that fulfills their needs
• by providing on-going guidance to our adopters for the life of their RESCUE dog or cat

More information on RESCUE may be found out our website at www.azrescue.org.