Remember Me Thursday® is the moment where the world shines a light on all orphan pets in shelters and raises awareness of the life-saving significance of pet adoption. It is also a time to light a candle to remember our own shelter rescues that have found forever homes and celebrate the joy they have brought to our lives.

For Nancy Heigl, co-founder of the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, one such dog was Pico My Guyo, a rescue from the Los Angeles shelter system that enriched her life beyond measure. Sadly he recently passed away from cancer, but she describes him as the “the most noble, kind, inclusive, loyal spirit I have ever known” and added that her “home and heart will never be the same without him.”

Just 30% of pets in US households come from rescue facilities, yet each year over 2.7 million healthy, adoptable, shelter animals lose their lives without ever finding a home. Orphan pets should live in forever homes, not die waiting for them.

On Thursday, September 24th, 2020 , you can be a catalyst for change by getting everyone you know on social media to discuss pet adoption and share the Remember Me Thursday® message, so that others can appreciate the joy of owning a rescue dog like Pico My Guyo.

In the previous five years of the campaign, 180 countries have supported the movement with hundreds of thousands of individuals and more than 700 separate animal welfare groups around the globe holding candle-lighting ceremonies of their own, spreading the message on social media, or lighting a candle during the Dorchester Paws vigil.

Go below to make a donation in honor of an animal that has made a difference in your life and see them honored through a lantern at our Remember Me Thursday walk on September 24th through Azalea Park in Summerville.