The BISSELL Pet Foundation (BPF) is proud to celebrate all it has accomplished this year. As our first full year of supporting our nation’s animal shelters and rescues, 2012 has been filled with hope as we see the positive impact we can make on the pet overpopulation crisis in our country. We know that together, we can continue to create second chances for homeless pets.

BPF’s mission is to assist animal welfare organizations. This includes helping to reduce the number of animals in shelters and rescues through pet adoption, spay/neuter programs, microchipping and foster care. In addition to these four focus areas, BPF also grants funding for emergency relief efforts such as large scale animal rescues or in the wake of national disasters. Any time funding is granted, we ensure that our support will advance our mission, with a specific emphasis on these focus areas. We are thrilled to share some of the stories highlighting how we have followed our mission and helped to save lives in 2012.

ADOPT

BPF was thrilled to assist the efforts of our local animal shelter, responsible for the intake and care of the majority of the homeless pets in our community, as a participant in the 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge. Through a BISSELL Blocktail Grant, funded by BPF, the Kent County Animal Shelter (KCAS) was able to extend discounted adoption fees and waived spay/neuter costs for all cats and dogs adopted during the 91 day challenge. Additionally, BPF sponsored two community events promoting adoption from KCAS during the Challenge. Through our assistance and the hard work of the KCAS staff, they were able to increase their adoption rate from August 1 to October 31 by 137% over the same time period in 2011!

SPAY/NEUTER

In October, BPF responded positively to a grant request from First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP) in Jacksonville, FL to support their Feral Freedom program. This program, which uses the Trap/Neuter/Return method, has saved the lives of more than 17,000 community cats and prevented countless unwanted litters since its inception in 2008. Feral Freedom is a collaborative effort between the local shelter and FCNMHP to save the lives of feral or “wild” cats which would have otherwise been euthanized. Because of the assistance from BPF, these cats now have a chance at a much more positive outcome.

MICROCHIPPING

This year was plagued by many natural disasters, including wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes that displaced many pets from their owners. BPF understands that microchipping is the best method for ensuring a pet is returned to its loving family and doesn’t become a shelter statistic. It is because of this, that we purchased enough microchips and scanners for our friends at Texas Best Choices Animal Rescue following the tornadoes that wreaked havoc in the Dallas, TX area last spring. Until we intervened, they were not able to microchip the animals in their care. With our help, any pets that were reclaimed or adopted following the tornadoes would have a microchip and a permanent ticket home.

FOSTER CARE

We at BPF understand that small, foster based organizations can play an integral role in saving lives. These organizations take in the “less adoptable” or “high-risk” pets that do not fit well in the adoption programs of larger shelters. These groups may be small, but they fill a large niche for some very special homeless pets. Recently, BPF awarded grant funding to one such group, St. Francis Humane Association (SFHA) in Richmond, VA. SFHA transfers many pets from rural animal shelters that do not have the resources to care for all of the homeless pets they receive. The collaborative efforts of SFHA have changed the outlook for many homeless pets, and we are proud to support their life-saving programs.

In 2012 alone, BPF has gifted funds and supplies to 43 different organizations spanning 16 states. We can’t wait to do even more in 2013. Happy New Year!