A partnership for progress

Pets make life happier and healthier, and their presence alone is proven to make communities safer. And, they’re family – pets are now in more than 84 million households.

Yet despite the value that pets add to our lives, they aren’t always welcome in public places, meaning people and pets miss out on the many benefits of time together.

That’s why the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Mars Petcare have teamed up to help make cities more pet-friendly as part of a new Mars Petcare initiative, BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™.

In 2017, Mars Petcare surveyed mayors across the country to gauge the state of pet-friendliness in U.S. cities, specifically seeking to understand current perceptions, trends, amenities and existing resources for managing animal welfare and quality of life for people with pets.

This research led to insights on strengths and opportunities, particularly in terms of the pet-friendliness of shelters, parks, homes and businesses. Read the survey report here:

To help address these findings, Mars Petcare created a how-to guide for cities interested in implementing more pet-friendly policies and programs. See the how-to guide here:

“Pets can’t speak for themselves, so it’s up to people and communities to advocate for them,” said Mark Johnson, Mars Petcare North America President. “In partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, we’re bringing together the public and private sectors to work together to advocate for more pet-friendly policies. We surveyed mayors around the country to help to refine our model for a pet-friendly city, ultimately creating communities with fewer pets in shelters, more pet-friendly places and happier, healthier lives for both people and pets.”