How we cared for 1.4 million pets and the people who love them

In 2021, the Banfield Foundation doubled down on its mission—making preventive care possible for the pets that need it most—by significantly increasing our commitment to creating even more access to care than ever before.

We partnered with nonprofits, animal shelters and universities across the United States and Puerto Rico to deliver much-needed resources, medical supplies, transportation, disaster relief and additional support to keep pets and people together. From mobilizing veterinary teams on Tribal Nations and funding 600 days of free and low-cost preventive care to helping care for and transport 2,800 pets from at-capacity shelters into loving homes, we found new ways to increase access to care by not only addressing the more obvious financial barriers, but the less often considered ones too, such as transportation and geography.

Through $2.6 million in grants, we helped deliver on our purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

Here are a few of my favorite ways we brought our purpose and mission to life in 2021:

We cared for pets waiting for a home?

Pandemic pets—it’s a thing. In fact, one of the biggest challenges we experienced since late 2020 was the overwhelming demand for pets in some parts of the country and a heartbreaking capacity—or lack thereof—to care for and adopt pets in other parts of the country. We partnered with the Humane Society of Tulsa (HST) to provide essential preventive care and transport pets from overcrowded shelters in the South to shelters with waitlists around the country. Thanks to the HST program, we helped 2,800 pets receive the care they need and find loving homes in California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin and beyond.

In December, we unveiled Zipper, a large-capacity 38-foot transport truck and trailer that will support 5,000 pets annually through transport, disaster relief and mobile spay and neuter clinics. We also committed to funding the preventive care for an additional 3,500 pets in the transport program in 2022—at the end of this year, we will have helped save nearly 9,000 pets from an otherwise uncertain future.?

We cared for pets during disaster

If we’ve learned anything in our seven years of work, it’s that disaster relief is a matter of when, not if. When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana last August, Banfield Foundation Disaster Relief Grants helped our partners across the state in the pre-during-and-post phases of Ida. We helped transport pets out of shelters destined to be devastated by the storm; we enabled veterinary care, feeding and shelter for pets unable to relocate, and we provided a grant to Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART)—one of the leading first responders across Louisiana—for a new Animal Disaster Response Trailer. The trailer, which will be ready for Hurricane season this year, will allow our partners to more quickly evacuate pets and support shelters during disaster and non-disaster events.?

We cared for pets in underserved communities

There are pockets across the United States where veterinary care and resources are critically limited—often referred to as “veterinary deserts”. Such is the case with many of the Tribal communities, regardless of their location. In 2021, we partnered with veterinary teams to bring access to veterinary care—and in some cases, access to veterinary education—to the pets and people of the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Tribal community in South Dakota as well as the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.

The Rosebud Reservation is home to nearly 200,000 owned and feral dogs, cats, horses, bison and other animals. To address the unique needs of the community, the Banfield Foundation, thanks in part to generous support from the IDEXX Foundation, worked alongside Tribal leadership and in partnership with Sovereign Nations Veterinary, to help bring preventive care and veterinary resources to the 20 communities on the Reservation through Wamakanskan Wasokiye Oti, which translates to “Helping Animal Center.” The initiative also provides access to education opportunities, providing full scholarships to pursue careers in veterinary medicine to build Tribally led care, capacity and expertise.

In the Southwest, our work with the Arizona Humane Society (AHS) has enabled thousands of pets to receive care on the San Carlos Apache Reservation. One weekend every month, the AHS operated—and the Foundation funded—Healthy Tails Mobile Clinic travels 130+ miles each way to bring veterinary care, medical supplies and resources to an area without any. We also supported Geronimo Animal Rescue Team and a group of veterinary students from University of Arizona to build and distribute 400 dog houses in support of the neediest families whose pets lacked proper shelter. Our work on the Reservation is just beginning—a week-long volunteer initiative will take place November 2022 and our commitment to free monthly clinics has been extended through May 2023.

When I look back on what we accomplished in 2021, there's no question that we cared—and we cared big. And it’s because of our caring community of supporters, donors and partners we were able to make a meaningful impact on millions of pets.

As I look ahead, I know this virtuous cycle of care will allow us to help even more pets and the people who love them in 2022 and beyond.

I encourage you to read our 2021 Impact Report here to learn more.?