For the fifth year in a row, in 2022 Mars Petcare’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program awarded grants to cities working to be pet friendly and keep people and pets together.
With pet parents continuing to face challenges keeping and caring for their pets, the 2022 grants focused on innovative programs working to address causes of pet homelessness. They include:

Bentonville, Arkansas – lessening the burden on shelters for pet reunification by expanding low-cost microchipping and empowering local organizations with chip scanners.
Fort Wayne, Indiana – providing community education about pet body language and behavior to reduce dog and other bites and, as a result, also reduce pet surrenders.


Houston, Texas – expanding reach for its Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets initiative through translated program materials and marketing to more pet parents in underserved areas.
Mission, Texas – creating a pet deposit assistance program for individuals in need to help reduce housing-related separation of people and their pets.


Phoenix, Arizona – hiring a Homeless Community Counselor to help unhoused pet parents find housing, temporary boarding, pet supplies and other support to keep their pets.
Reno, Nevada – expanding a program to deliver veterinary services to senior citizens and unhoused pet parents so they can keep their pets in tough times.


Spokane, Washington – adding a pet expert liaison to the city’s new homeless shelter team to assist individuals with pet-related needs while in and transitioning from the shelter.