BENJI RAISES MORE THAN $100,000 FOR JACKSON ANIMAL SHELTER

Fresh from filming her newest movie, the canine superstar Benji spent three days in Jackson, MS helping the Mississippi Animal Rescue League raise more than $100,000 for their new shelter construction.

The effort is part of Benji’s mission to make a positive difference in the lives of kids and homeless animals. The floppy-eared mutt’s Save Benji’s Buddies pro gram focuses on improving shelter conditions and getting homeless animals adopted. Benji and her creator, Joe Camp, will be traveling all across the country to help raise money for shelters and to help raise awareness of the loving and caring pets available for adoption at local shelters.

.The original Benji was rescued from an animal shelter and the phenomenal success of the film resulted in an estimated one million pet adoptions nationwide according to the American Humane Association. For that reason, Camp scoured the nation’s pet shelters in a four-month search to find the newest Benji star. A floppy-eared female from Gulfport Mississippi shelter was selected and in August she completed the filming of her first theatrical film Benji Returns: Rags to Riches which will be released during the summer of 2004.

The event in Jackson featured a gala evening for adults and a Breakfast with Benji for kids. “And a lot of media,” said Camp. “We’ve found that whenever Benji’s big brown eyes and media get together, shelter adoptions go up. The shelter in Gulfport from which Benji was adopted completely emptied the month after her adoption. That was a first.”