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Language, Writing Style & Usage Rules

Organization & Program Names

BISSELL Pet Foundation

  • Use BISSELL in all caps when referring to the foundation.
  • Use lowercase Bissell when referring to a person (e.g., Cathy Bissell).
  • Do not place “the” before BISSELL.

Empty the Shelters

  • Capitalize the E in Empty and the S in Shelters; keep the t in the lowercase.
  • After the first full reference to Empty the Shelters, you may use ETS.

Registered Trademark (®) Usage

  • For trademarked programs (e.g., Empty the Shelters®, Fix the Future®), include the ® symbol on first use only.

Word Choice and Hyphenation

  • nonprofit — one word, no hyphen
  • lifesaving — one word, no hyphen
  • life-threatening — two words, hyphenated
  • pit bull — two words, no hyphen
  • foster-to-adopt — hyphenated

Animal-Related Language

Dog Breeds

  • Do not routinely capitalize dog breed names.
  • Capitalize proper nouns (e.g., Labrador) and lowercase generic terms (e.g., retriever).
    • Examples: French bulldog, Labrador retriever, cocker spaniel, poodle

Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pets

  • Use their when referring to a dog or cat in possessive form.
    • Example: “Thanks to the grant from BISSELL Pet Foundation, our organization was able to provide medication to your dog and help save their life.”

Capitalization Rules

Geographic Terms

  • Lowercase when describing general areas: southern states, midwestern states.
  • Capitalize when referring to specific regions: the South, the Midwest, the East, the West.

Seasons

  • Capitalize only when at the beginning of a sentence or part of an event name.
    • Capitalized: “Summer heat can be dangerous…” / “BPF’s upcoming Spring Fling…”
    • Lowercase: “This fall, BPF gave a $10,000 grant…” / “Our next ETS event will occur in the spring.”