250,000 Reasons Why Volunteering for Pets Has Never Been More Important
You can’t go online or open a newspaper right now without seeing pleas for help from shelters and rescues. To some, that might seem surprising, since we also saw so much coverage about “pandemic puppies” and the increase in pet adoptions over the last few years.
But the reality is that shelters are struggling. A recent survey from AdoptAPet.com found that nine out of 10 shelters and rescues are seeing resource constraints and overpopulation that’s high or rising.
Here in the U.S., that translates to more than 250,000 dogs and cats waiting for homes right now — and experts suggest they’re waiting longer than usual, too. It’s stressful for the pets and exhausting for the shelter and rescue teams they depend on.
Nine out of 10 shelters and rescues are seeing resource constraints and overpopulation that’s high or rising.
At Mars Petcare, we’ve been watching this growing issue with concern. Providing healthy meals for shelter pets is obviously a way that we could provide support, and already in 2022, our brands like PEDIGREE® and ROYAL CANIN® have donated millions of meals to help. PEDIGREE Foundation gives around a million dollars in grants annually to increase adoption. And the charitable arms of Mars Veterinary Health, Banfield Foundation and VCA Charities, have donated more than $3.2 million in 2022 alone to help address the need for vet care, shelter transports and adoption readiness.
But as this crisis continues to expand, financial support alone isn’t enough.
Talking with partners throughout the animal welfare community, it became clear that we could play another important role by helping communicate the scope of this crisis and engaging more people in solving it. Shelters are eager for more awareness of this struggle, since many people believe pet homelessness was reduced by adoptions during the pandemic.
Introducing Service Humans Needed
That’s why we’re mobilizing our largest-ever volunteer program for shelter pets, asking people to volunteer their time, homes and social platforms in service of pets in need.
We hope to reach 500,000 hours of Associate volunteer support for local shelters by the end of the year.
We’re starting with our own team, enlisting the help of more than 60,000 Mars Associates and pet advocates across North America. With the help of our colleagues from Mars Pet Nutrition, Banfield Pet Hospital, VCA Animal Hospitals, Mars Wrigley, Mars Food, Mars Edge and Camp Bow Wow, we hope to reach 500,000 hours of Associate volunteer support for local shelters by the end of the year.
But this, too, is not enough. So, we’re also asking the public to give their support too.
Inspired by the unconditional love and loyalty dogs and cats give to us, we’re asking people to help with acts of service in their own communities to help homeless pets. We call it “Service Humans Needed” and we hope to reach millions more pet lovers in the weeks ahead.
Here’s Why It Matters
In my role in the pet care industry, and as a board member for PEDIGREE Foundation and Greater Good Charities, the stories I’m hearing are alarming. Shelters are overcrowded and many organizations are expecting euthanasia rates to rise. Acts of service for shelter pets right now can literally save lives.
This is how we’re asking pet lovers to help:
· Volunteer your time: As shelters and rescues work through resource constraints and overpopulation, shelter volunteers can help lighten the load. Plus, by providing needed socialization for pets, they can help dogs’ and cats’ adorable personalities shine through for adopters.
· Volunteer your home: Experts report that the length of time pets spend in shelters is growing, causing stress for the pets and overcrowding for the shelters. By fostering, volunteers can relieve these pressures and give pets a loving home while they await adoption. Of course, we hope many people will adopt as well!
· Volunteer your social platforms: 84% of shelters say that sharing pictures of animals on social media helps them get adopted faster. So, just by using your social media, volunteers can make a real impact in helping pets find homes and ending the shelter crisis.
Here’s What We’re Doing
At the same time volunteers are making an impact across North America, our team at Mars Petcare will be taking additional steps to help ease the burden for shelters and rescues.
As a company whose purpose is A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS, we believe it’s our responsibility to help as much as we can in this time of crisis for shelters.
Our 14th annual BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ adoption weekend will be the biggest yet, with events in six cities. We’re thrilled to be supporting adopters in our Mars hometown markets including Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Newark, Vancouver, WA and Washington, D.C. by covering adoption fees up to $110,000. It’s a great collaboration between Mars Petcare, PEDIGREE Foundation, VCA Charities and Camp Bow Wow.
We’re also expanding the impact of PEDIGREE Foundation outside the U.S. for the first time, with $100,000 in grants awarded to shelters across Canada. That’s in addition to the U.S. grants program, which has donated nearly $10 million since its founding and will be awarding its 2022 grants later this year.
As a company whose purpose is A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS, we believe it’s our responsibility to help as much as we can in this time of crisis for shelters. We’re thrilled we can take these steps to help.
Please Join Us
I read the stories in the news about pets spending months in shelters, and I think of my dog Baxter, who joined our family as a “foster fail.” I couldn’t be more grateful for the joy that he and our other pup, Jackson Ryder, bring to our home.
Volunteering to help other dogs find homes is the least I can do in return — I’m excited to help at this week’s adoption event in Nashville! Shelter pets need our help right now, and volunteer acts of service really can save lives. I’m excited to be a “service human” for pets in need and I hope every pet lover will join me!
Find out more at BetterCitiesForPets.com/ServiceHumans
