SAN ANTONIO, June 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Petco Foundation and Skechers' charity footwear collection, BOBS from Skechers, are celebrating Foster a Pet Month this June by recognizing 22 National Foster Heroes who have gone above and beyond to save animal lives in their communities.
The COVID-19 crisis response proved that fostering pets is the answer to eliminating unnecessary euthanasia of pets in America's shelters. As animal shelters across the nation adjusted operations during the pandemic, families stepped up to temporarily foster pets in their homes. The percentage of pets cared for in foster homes spiked to an all-time high, and euthanasia decreased at shelters across the country.
"As the country opens up for business, we encourage families to continue to open up their homes and hearts to shelter pets. Because, if 2% of pet-owning households in the U.S. fostered just one pet a year, we could eliminate unnecessary euthanasia in this country, not just during the COVID-19 shutdown, but forever," said Susanne Kogut, president of the Petco Foundation. "As we honor volunteer Foster Heroes, who are making a difference in their communities, we hope to inspire more people to join the pet fostering movement. Our goal is to make sheltering pets in foster homes, versus animal shelters, the new normal, so we can create a lifesaving nation together."
Below are some of the National Foster Hero Honorees:
While the Foster Heroes recognized above clearly are making an extraordinary impact, fostering just one pet makes a lifesaving difference in that pet's life. That is why during National Foster a Pet Month, the Petco Foundation encourages all pet lovers to take the Pledge to Save Pet Lives by adopting, fostering, volunteering and/or donating this summer with a goal of inspiring 1.5 million pledges to match the approximate number of pets unnecessarily euthanized in shelters each year in the U.S.
In addition to mobilizing the animal-loving public to help local animal welfare organizations save lives through the COVID-19 crisis, the Petco Foundation's Pledge to Save Pet Lives included $1M in emergency product and cash donations to animal shelters. This commitment follows the Petco Foundation's recent distribution of more than $13M to animal welfare organizations nationwide.
For stepping up and saving lives, each National Foster Hero will receive a thank you gift that includes BOBS from Skechers shoes and their incredible lifesaving work will be honored on petcofoundation.org/foster. The 22 National Foster Heroes were selected after nearly 400 animal welfare organizations across the country submitted their Foster Hero nomination. Participating animal welfare organizations will join in the celebration of Foster a Pet Month and honor their Foster Heroes locally as well.
For more on the Petco Foundation and to take the Pledge to Save Pet Lives, visit petcofoundation.org/pledge and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #SavePetLives.
About the Petco Foundation
At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we've invested more than $280 million in lifesaving work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. Through our Think Adoption First program, we partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoption. So far, we've helped more than 6.5 million pets find their new loving families, and we're just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.
About BOBS from Skechers
BOBS from Skechers' charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals' lives: over the past five years, Skechers has contributed more than $5.45 million to help more than one million shelter pets, including saving more than 661,000 rescued pets in the United States. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty ? a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 15 million pairs of new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers' commitment to making a difference, visit www.BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Based in Manhattan Beach, California, Skechers designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company's collections are available in the United States and over 170 countries and territories via department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through 3,575 Company- and third-party-owned retail stores and e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, Israel and Mexico, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, India, Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Media Contact:
Lisa Lane, Director of Marketing and Development
Petco Foundation
[email protected]
SOURCE Petco Foundation
These press releases may also interest you
|