Mike Arms Interview

I recently got the honor to interview a true advocate for homeless and orphaned animals, Mike Arms. He is one of those people what you can tell is in animal rescue for the right reasons the first time you meet him. He also truly had dedicated his life to helping my animals pals.

Preston: Hi Mr. Arms can I call you Mike? Thank you so much for chatting with us from PrestonSpeaks.com.. From my research and our previous conversations with you at Blogpaws, I have learned that you’re a huge advocate for homeless pets. My first question is how did you get started working with animals and in animal rescue?
Mike: Hi Preston! I am proud to say that I’ve spent over four decades as an animal welfare advocate.

In 1977 I accepted a position with the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington, N.Y. where I created new ways to increase public awareness about animals, increase pet adoptions and lower euthanasia rates. I then began touring the U.S. as an adoptions consultant while serving at North Shore. Then in 1999 I accepted the position of President and Executive Director of Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego where I was able to triple the number of pet adoptions completed each month. The education program began setting records for the number of youngsters that were receiving humane education, rising from fewer than 4,000 to nearly 25,000 per year. When I joined the staff at Helen Woodward Animal Center, I was all too familiar with the pet homelessness epidemic and I wanted to do whatever I could to help find orphaned animals loving, forever homes.

Preston: Other than the perfect weather year around why did you decide to move to San Diego and become the CEO of the Helen Woodward Animal Center(HWAC)?

Mike: While I was doing a consulting job for an animal welfare group in San Diego, I was introduced to Helen Woodward Animal Center, and had a tour and lunch with the chairman of the board, who is Helen’s grandson. He told me of Helen’s dream to do adoptions and teach humane education, and this fit in with my commitment, but to take it to a much higher level, and we agreed to agree.

Preston: My mom and I are also involved in animal rescue and it is disheartening that there are so many cats and dogs who need homes. Here in western Kentucky we have kills shelters. It breaks my heart when I hear that pets are put down at our town’s shelter just because they haven’t found their forever home yet, like I have with my mom and dad. How do you keep going and are motivated to continue your mission when there are so many animals in need?

Mike: My commitment to enhance the quality of life for orphaned pets started that day, lying in the street & making a promise to a little dog that couldn’t defend themself. My motivation increases each year when I see the results increasing from organizations that attend ACES and implement some of our programs and increase their adoptions and decrease their euthanasia.

Preston: Mike, what is the secret to your success at HWAC?

Mike: I surround myself with truly intelligent and like-minded individuals that realize we are in the business of saving lives.

Preston: What is the most challenging thing you have had to overcome while working in animal rescue?

Mike: The major challenge is getting folks to think outside the box, not to accept things as they were 100 years ago, dispel myths such as “No black cat adoptions at Halloween” or “No holiday adoptions during the Holiday season,” to think like professionals and realize that our goal is to save more lives and run our organizations as businesses.

Preston: What led you to creating the IAMS Home 4 the Holidays program? For my readers who don’t know about this amazing program, HWAC and IAMS partners with over 3,500 animal shelters and rescues throughout the world with the goal of adopting 1.5 million orphan dogs, cats, and other pets from October 1st until January 3^rd.

Mike: In an effort to encourage families to adopt from a shelter or a rescue organization, I created an adoption drive and quickly brought Iams on board to help bring greater awareness to the cause. Thirteen years later, the Iams Home 4 the Holidays program is still going incredibly strong.

Preston: What are your long term goals for IAMS Home 4 the Holidays?

Mike: Each year I hope we can adopt out more pets so the end result will be like a letter I received from the animal control organization several years ago, thanking me for the Iams Home 4 the Holidays program, and letting me know this was the first time in their history they did not have to euthanize a pet during the holiday season.

Preston: Now, for the important question all us inquiring dogs want to know..do you have pets? if so what kind? Do they go to work with you? Do they have Facebook or twitter? Will they be my friend?

Mike: Currently I’m down to 4 pets. I’ve had as many as 11 at any given time. The three dogs I have now are Preem, a pity blend, Princess, a Shepard blend, and Wilson, a yellow lab that was rejected from an eye dog school because of a bad heart. He was only to live to be 3 years old, and is now going on 6. He fooled everybody— he did not want to work, he just wanted to play. All 3 of my dogs welcome me home, but my cat, Baby, allows me to come home. She was an orphan, found on the street, very sick with upper respiratory, and she needed us. I guess I’ll have to start a Twitter account for them, and yes, they would be your friend.

Preston: One of the Helen Woodward Animal Shelter’s biggest events each year is the Surf Dog Surf-a-thon. This event attracts world class doggie athletes to complete in surfing for the ultimate dog surfing title. I have only seen the ocean once being a Kentucky dog and I didn’t understand what was up with the waves and why they kept chasing me. But I think it would be neat to surf in it one year. But my final question to you Mike is do you surf? And if I made it out to San Diego for your event would you surf with me?

Mike: No, I don’t surf. I’m one of those individuals that really never found time for hobbies, with all the work I need to get done. But maybe, and I’m only saying MAYBE, if you came out to the event, I might try surfing.

Preston: Thank you so much for taking time out of your very packed schedule to talk to prestonspeaks.com about the amazing HWAC/IAMS Home 4 the Holidays program. We really, really, really do hope that you reach your goal adopting out 1.5M orphan animals this holiday season! All of us at Preston Speaks will be rooting for you!