Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Shrute on the television show The Office, recently hosted a Zoom call for 900 pets in an effort to raise money for animal shelters across the country. A contest was held where participants could vote on shelters who would receive a $10,000 donation from Fresh Pet. Though this contest was meant for September, it was moved earlier to help those affected by the pandemic.
Rainn and his dog, Poe, were especially moved by the nationwide call. "I'd been reading about how much dogs and pets can reduce stress and how people who have animals live longer, but it was pretty miraculous to see hundreds and hundreds of people with their pets," said Rainn, "There was an incredible amount of love on that screen." Visiting the call was everything from cats and dogs to sheep and lizards.
Wilson owns what he calls a "preposterous" number of animals, all of whom were adopted from various animal shelters in the state of California. He and his wife, Holiday, own two pet guinea pigs, two pit bulls, and two pot-bellied pigs. Rainn thought it was only right to support shelters in a bigger way.
"Ultimately, I'm hoping more people will get their pets from rescue organizations," said Rainn, "And that they'll support rescue organizations financially, and that they'll educate themselves and their kids about pet care."
The winners of the contest include the Hearts Alive Village (Las Vegas, NV), the Second Chance Farm (Granbury, TX), Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue (Rolla, ND), Shenandoah Shepherd Rescue (Stephens City, VA), and Speranza Animal Rescue (Mechanicsburg, PA). Runners up didn't go home disappointed though, as many left with a $2000 donation. Not so ruff!