www.theshelterpetproject.org Pet adoption is on the rise since the campaign’s 2009 launch. Despite a bleak economy, the percentage of pets in homes that were adopted from animal shelters and rescue groups has risen from 27% to 29% in the last two years, and encouraging statistics show that euthanasia of shelter pets is down 10% since 2009. However, 2.7 million healthy and treatable pets are still losing their lives in shelters each year. Bringing that number all the way to zero is the goal of “The Shelter Pet Project” campaign, which aims to encourage millions of pet lovers to make shelters the first choice and desired way for acquiring companion animals. The current phase of the campaign focuses on the bond that exists between a person and their shelter pet and encourages potential adopters to adopt from shelters by explaining that, “A person is the best thing to happen to a shelter pet. Be that person. Adopt.”