Better Cities for Pets

APPLICATION DEADLINE: March 8, 2019 @ 11:59PM EST

The 2019 grants competition is now open!  Click on the red APPLY NOW button at the top right of the page to get started.

Making our cities more pet-friendly can have so many positive impacts, from improving the health of our citizens, to raising property values. That’s why USCM has partnered with Mars Petcare, one of the world’s leading pet care providers, to promote pet-friendly communities. Last year we launched a nationwide initiative to promote, support and expand pet-friendly programs and policies in America’s cities. The BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative can help your city advance the goal of creating welcoming places for people and pets to live, work and play together.

If you’re interested in making your city more pet-friendly, Mars Petcare has shared these tips:

• Use our Pet-Friendly City Assessment to understand your city’s current pet-friendliness and greatest opportunities.

• Check the 12 Traits of Pet-Friendly Cities model to determine where you want to focus. If you already know your top priority, use these links to go straight to supporting information and resources:
  • Shelters
  • Homes
  • Parks
  • Businesses

• Review the Playbook for Pet-Friendly Cities and other resources to help you build your program. The playbook has numerous tips and learnings from best practices and pilot programs that are already underway.

• Consider partners such as:
  • A local nonprofit animal welfare organization for pet adoption or spay/neuter programs
  • GreaterGood.org’s Rescue Rebuild program for shelter and park renovations/builds
  • Local developers for pet-friendly housing advances
  • Your local Downtown Association or Chamber of Commerce for pet-friendly business programs

Get inspired! Here’s a quick look at how pets make life better and why making cities more pet friendly helps everyone enjoy a happier, healthier life: https://youtu.be/eacqil6fdKM