As part of the launch of inaugural Canadian Grant Program to help end pet homelessness, $100,000 in grants is being awarded to help shelter and rescue dogs across Canada.
As Canadian pet shelters grapple with a rise in surrenders and resource constraints, PEDIGREE Foundation is announcing the launch of its Canadian Grant Program, its first-ever annual program in Canada designed to help end pet homelessness. With a growing shelter crisis across North America and more than 80,0001 animals in need of support across Canada, PEDIGREE Foundation is committing $100,000 in 2022 grant awards which will go towards supporting eight Canadian shelters and rescue organizations in need. PEDIGREE Foundation is also unveiling the eight inaugural recipients from across Canada for the 2022-2023 program year, all of whom have been selected based on their support for programs that help find dogs loving homes.
With a vision of a day when all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved, PEDIGREE Foundation—an independent, non-profit organization established by Mars Petcare, maker of PEDIGREE® food for dogs— is expanding grant activities to Canada for the first time, in a push to increase dog adoption locally. PEDIGREE Foundation selected the following animal shelters from across Canada for 2022 grant funding:
• Animal Rescue Foundation
• Cochrane & Area Humane Society
• Coveted Canines and Creatures Rescue
• Humane Society Hastings Prince Edward (formerly Quinte Humane Society)
• Niagara Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals & Humane Society
• Oakville & Milton Humane Society
• Ontario SPCA & Humane Society
• The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth
The grants will focus on supporting these shelters in developing programs that are shown to significantly increase dog adoption, including:
• Matching and behaviour programs – that increase the likelihood that shelter dogs will bond with their adopters.
• Transport programs – that help move dogs from areas of overpopulation to areas where they are more likely to be adopted.
• Support in remote communities – to provide needed medical care including spay/neuter programs to help reduce overpopulation of homeless dogs.
“We know firsthand from our work with shelters and rescues that support is needed now more than ever,” says Debra Fair, Executive Director, PEDIGREE Foundation. “Length of stay is increasing for dogs at shelters, and our expansion of programs for the first time outside the U.S. to Canada is a critical first step in addressing the growing shelter crisis across North America. We are proud to be able to provide support for Canadian shelters who are working tirelessly to help find every dog the loving home they deserve, in the face of increasingly difficult conditions.”
PEDIGREE Foundation Canadian Grant Program is just one of the many ways Mars Petcare is supporting the shelter crisis and working to bring to life its purpose: A Better World For Pets.
Helping North America’s Growing Shelter Crisis
Mars Petcare – proudly part of the Mars family of brands – also announced it will put its strength and scale as the world’s largest petcare company behind the launch of the company’s largest shelter volunteer program ever. Inspired by the unconditional support, love and loyalty pets show to humans, Service Humans Needed, is a North America-wide campaign aimed at reciprocating the support our pets show us by calling on “Service Humans” to help shelters and pets in need through acts of service.
To help alleviate some of the resource challenges facing shelters, pet advocates and proud pet parents are being encouraged to become a “Service Human” to support pets in their communities in multiple ways, including:
• Volunteering their time at local animal shelters
• Volunteering their home by fostering and adopting
• Volunteering their social platforms by sharing adoptable shelter pets on social media
To bring the program to life, Mars Petcare has also called on the support of their Associates cutting across all of Mars’ businesses, including:
• Enlisting 60,000 Mars associates and supporters across North America to volunteer at shelters, including organized volunteer activities at more than 60 shelters in Canada.
• Encourage 500,000 hours of volunteer support, including 10,000 locally in Canada, by the end of the year from Associates within Mars Food, Mars Pet Nutrition, Mars Inc., Mars Wrigley, and Royal Canin.
Additionally, Mars Pet Nutrition Canada and its brands support shelters and pets in need through ongoing in-kind donations. So far in 2022, Mars Pet Nutrition Canada has donated more than 1 million meals to shelter pets in need.
