Three to four million healthy and adoptable pets are killed in America’s animal shelters each year simply because they don’t have a place to call home. To help increase awareness of and save the pets available for adoption, St. Louis-based Nature’s Variety, makers of the Instinct brand and newly named Official Pet Food Partner of Best Friends Animal Society, is launching Long Live Pets.
Adopters of shelter and rescue pets across the nation are being invited to submit photos of their pets to be the potential stars of what will be a groundbreaking, crowd-sourced film that showcases the happiness of adopted dogs in their new lives. The short film, which will premiere on national TV later this spring on the Nat Geo Wild network, also will help promote the mission of Best Friends to end the killing of animals in America’s shelters.
“Our company purpose—something we live every day—is ’empowering people to transform the lives of pets,'” said Reed Howlett, CEO of Nature’s Variety. “Best Friends Animal Society is a natural partner in this mission because they have been transforming—and saving—the lives of pets for more than 30 years.”
According to Best Friends, an estimated 9,000 adoptable pets are killed in America’s shelters each day. In recognition of Best Friends’ goal of reducing this number to zero, the campaign strives to receive at least 9,000 photo submissions.
To participate in the campaign, consumers can go directly to LongLivePets.com or submit their photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #LongLivePets.
As Best Friends Animal Society’s Official Pet Food Partner of 2015, Nature’s Variety will supply its Instinct brand dog and cat food to Best Friends’ Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, to help feed the 1,000 dogs and cats being cared for on the sanctuary grounds. Additionally, to help bring more awareness to pets available for adoption and to inspire others to act, Nature’s Variety is giving a cash donation and investing in the cutting-edge Long Live Pets film, which any shelter or pet lover will be able to use to help encourage pet adoption.
“This represents the biggest cause marketing partnership to date for our organization,” said Gregory Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society. “We are thrilled to call this mission-aligned company our partner. The food, funds and the program they are launching will help us further our mission to end the killing of adoptable pets in America’s shelters.”
