Middle Tennessee’s 3 largest shelters celebrate 10-year partnership with Mars Petcare On the weekend of August 25th and 26th, that doggie in the window is free to adopt in Nashville!

Jennifer Markert | for Mars Petcare

Pets are more than just our furry housemates. They are in more than 84 million households and the role that pets play in our lives has shifted. The moment of adopting a pet is now a celebrated milestone for families. It’s a decision worth celebrating, because your life will have changed for the better.

When your family expands to include a fuzzy, feathery or scaly addition, it is important to remember that your new family member needs a forever home. After all, they thrive best with personal support, just like people. Unfortunately, many pets end up in shelters every year — about 8 million nationally, and 40,000 in Middle Tennessee alone.

Mars Petcare, the company behind popular pet food brands like PEDIGREE®, CESAR® and IAMS™, is committed to taking steps to support these animals and the shelters who care for them, and has made sponsorship of pet adoption a cornerstone of its purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. This year marks the 10th anniversary of Adoption Weekend in the Nashville area, during which Mars Petcare will encourage pet adoption at three local shelters in Middle Tennessee. Sadly, four out of 10 dogs and seven out of 10 cats don’t make it out of the shelter, but with this event, Mars Petcare hopes to put shelter pets into the forefront of animal lovers’ minds and hearts to encourage the kind act of saving a life (or two or three!).

Adoption Weekend makes it easy to welcome a lovable critter into your family. During the weekend of August 25th and 26th, Mars Petcare will cover all fees for pets adopted from Nashville’s three largest shelters: Metro Animal Care & Control, Nashville Humane Association and Williamson County Animal Center. Over the past decade, this weekend of waived fees has led to thousands of pet adoptions, while providing invaluable support for these shelters.

“We’re proud of our commitment to combating pets in need in Middle Tennessee through 10 years of hosting this adoption weekend,” expressed Jam Stewart, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Mars Petcare. “We are so thankful for our continued partnership with our local shelters over the past decade — we can’t fight pet homelessness alone. It’s more than just about adoption, it’s about the volunteers, donations and resources available for these shelters and our pets, and we are happy to be able to join forces to provide more resources and opportunities for homeless pets.” Through continuous support of adoption weekend and the spread of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative, Mars Petcare is setting out to minimize the number of homeless animals by focusing support, research and resources in four key areas that contribute to a pet-friendly city.

These four key areas are Welcoming Shelters, Responsible Homes, Park Space for Play, and Pet-Friendly Businesses. Together, these aspects define a pet-friendly city, and are prioritized through Mars Petcare US’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ advocacy, education, partnerships and volunteer work. With 75,000 passionate Associates devoted to this cause worldwide, Mars helps ensure that pets are continuously protected and cherished. For pet lovers, adopting instead of buying is a great first step to being a part of this inspiring movement.

Unfortunately, pets are surrendered to shelters on a frequent basis. Addressing the causes of pet surrender at their root will be the best way to prevent this outcome.

To help more Nashville residents keep pets in their homes, Mars Petcare and the SAFE Coalition are partnering to develop the “Mars Petcare Home for Good Fund.” The fund will include a $10,000 grant program for coalition partners to provide pet owners with resources for successful pet ownership — such as heartworm prevention, behavioral support, pet food, spay/neuter and transportation to procedures. When pet owners are educated on the benefits and challenges of pet ownership, they are better prepared to adopt for keeps.

Not all residences, public and private areas allow for pets; this creates additional hurdles that are beyond many pet owners’ control. Luckily, Mars Petcare’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative works hard to encourage pet-friendly residencies, park spaces and businesses to realize the benefits of pet-friendly spaces.

Owning a pet has many benefits (that transcend the cute factor). These benefits are even more plentiful when you choose to adopt. Shelter animals are often already house-trained, which can make the transition to accident-free pet ownership smoother. Know, too, that by adopting a pet you are freeing up space in the shelter for someone else’s potential pet. The feeling your pet gives you when it greets you after a long day is unmatched. Also, since almost 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized every year, by adopting a pet, you are saving a life. And since animal companionships offer proven therapeutic benefits — psychologically, emotionally, and physically — they may just be saving yours too. That’s what family’s for, and well-worth celebrating on Adoption Weekend and beyond.

Find out more about pet adoption, responsible pet ownership and the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative at bettercitiesforpets.com.

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