Humans have an immense love for their four-legged family members, and the human-animal bond transcends race, ethnicity, geography and socioeconomic status. However, millions of pet owners struggle to care for their pets due to lack of access to pet care.
The joy, unconditional love and health benefits of the human-animal bond are priceless, but the sad truth is that millions of pets in the US live in poverty with their families. Rising inflation and systemic poverty have left many families struggling to access essential care and supplies for their pets.
No one should be denied the opportunity to have a pet …
… because animals bring joy to our lives.
… because animals improve our mental health and help keep us active.
… because animals are so #MoreThanAPet!
More than 20 million pets live with their owners in poverty across the US To put this into perspective, this number is three times greater than the number of pets that enter shelters each year . Furthermore, 70% of these pets have never seen a veterinarian. As a result, people are often forced to choose between meeting their own needs and those of their pets. They often lack any access to veterinary care, pet-friendly housing and other essential resources such as pet food and supplies. We’ve heard firsthand from countless families that they’d rather skip meals themselves than not be able to care for their pets. No one should be in this position.
As an animal welfare organization, we cannot ignore this national crisis. An important part of our work is to achieve equity in access to pet care for underserved communities. These efforts are long overdue and necessary to distinguish man from “humanity.” Through our Pets for Life and Rural Area Veterinary Services programs, we are creating a world where everyone can experience the unconditional love and benefits of a companion animal, regardless of their breed, ethnicity, geography or socioeconomic status .
Bring Janis and her dog, Freeda, a poodle mix. Janis first received palliative and end of life veterinary care for her senior Chihuahua, Baby, through a local Pets for Life partner in Idaho, Better Together Animal Alliance. Losing Baby is hard, but Janis finds solace in having Freeda. However, the necessary repairs for Freeda to stay healthy were financially out of reach. Having access to veterinary care and grooming at no cost means everything to Janis. Janis shared, “It takes a community sometimes. I am so grateful to Pets for Life. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
I am proud of this work and the commitment of everyone involved in making these programs happen. As we continue to address the realities of pet poverty in the US, we invite you to join us in launching our More Than a Pet campaign with the help of five partners: ADM, Smalls, Motel 6, Ollie and TQL. The campaign aims to raise awareness and provide solutions to increase access to care and keep families and their pets together, happy and healthy. Grammy-winning musician Mya is also supporting the campaign, along with her dogs, Tango, Jemma and Jax, and her cat Journey.
We invite everyone to show support for this campaign by sharing why their companion animals are #MoreThanAPet. Campaign partner Smalls donates a bowl of food for every photo shared, up to $1 million, to pets and their families in need.
People living with their pets in difficult circumstances are a testament to the power, value and resilience of the human-animal bond. Together, we can build a society where families experiencing poverty with their pets are seen, valued and have equal access to resources.
The post More Than a Pet campaign will help people who struggle to access care for their pets appeared first on A Humane World.
