Pet food company partners with Best Friends Animal Society

Photo: New Africa/Adobe Stock

Blue Buffalo, the company behind BLUE pet food and treats, announced a new partnership with Best Friends Animal Society (BFAS), an animal welfare group promoting no-kill policies in their shelters across the country. Blue Buffalo will donate more than 500,000 lb. of natural food and treats for animals at 6 BFAS shelters.¹

“At Best Friends, we believe that pets belong in loving homes where they are cared for and fed like family, not in shelters,” Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society, said in a news release.¹ “We are committed to saving the lives of the more than 4.7 million pets that enter shelters each year in the US, and we are thrilled and deeply grateful to partner with Blue Buffalo to provide essential nutrition to the cats and dogs in our care.”

Blue Buffalo’s relationship with BFAS dates back to 2021, when they served as the founding partner of the shelter group’s Northwest Arkansas Best Friends Resource Center in Bentonville. This is in addition to the volunteer efforts of Blue Buffalo employees at various BFAS locations.¹ BFAS joins Stray Rescue of Saint Louis in Missouri and the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, California, as Blue Buffalo partners working towards giving pets a second chance as part of their Adoption All-Stars program.²

“Blue Buffalo was founded on the belief that pets are family—we love them like family, so we feed them like family,” Liz Mascolo, president of Blue Buffalo North America, said about the partnership.¹ “We are honored to play a role in the lifesaving work of Best Friends Animal Society by nourishing dogs and cats with BLUE’s superior nutrition in their moment of need, so they’re healthy and thriving when they go to forever homes.”

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) estimates that 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized each year in US shelters. The number has seen consistent annual decline since 2011, when the ASPCA approximates 2.6 million cats and dogs were euthanized in US shelters.³ BFAS notes that as recently as 2016, the number was as high as 1.5 million cats and dogs euthanized because of insufficient community support or resources in shelters.⁴

Best Friends Animal Society began in 1984, with the opening of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah. Since then, BFAS has expanded, opening lifesaving centers in Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, New York City, Houston, and Northwest Arkansas. They’ve also grown their Best Friends Network, partnering with thousands of public and private shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare groups across the country.⁴ BFAS has made it their goal to make the country no-kill by 2025.

References

1. Blue Buffalo named official pet food & treats partner of Best Friends Animal Society. News release. Blue Buffalo. August 1, 2024. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240801345110/en
2. Blue Buffalo. Meet our adoption all-stars. Blue Buffalo. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://bluebuffalo.com/why-choose-blue/giving-back/blue-pet-adoption-all-stars/
3. ASPCA. Pet statistics. ASPCA. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics
4. Best Friends. Locations. Best Friends. Accessed August 8, 2024. https://bestfriends.org/locations