City of Southport Achieves Pet-Friendly Certification

City of Southport Achieves Pet-Friendly Certification
BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ Program Recognizes First Set of Certified Cities

Southport, NC July 09. 2019 – Today, the City of Southport received the official BETTER CITY FOR PETS™ certification, as part of the Mars Petcare BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, showcasing its commitment to creating a pet-friendly community. More people than ever view pets as members of the family, and with 85 million pet-households in the United States, City of Southport is on the forefront of creating a vibrant community where pets are not only welcome but thrive.

The City of Southport is proud of our community’s achievements, rich and diverse heritage, and potential for the future. Our Animal Protective Services strives to provide quality service and education to all residents and visitors while ensuring the humane treatment of animals in a culture of compassion and integrity.

“On behalf of the city of the City of Southport, we are honored to receive the BETTER CITY FOR PETS™ certification to showcase the great work we’ve done to allow more people to enjoy the benefits of life with their pets. With the help and support of our passionate local residents, we’ve seen how small steps such as the support of a Community Cat Program, along with a pet-friendly downtown area, have made an impact in our own backyard.”

In January, Mars Petcare launched the BETTER CITY FOR PETS™ certification, an extension of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program which works with local government, businesses and non-profits to help communities make four-legged friends welcome. The certification, created in partnership with urban-planning organization, Civic Design Center, evaluates cities based on 12 traits of pet-friendly cities across four categories: businesses, parks, shelters and homes. Applicants that received a certification demonstrated their commitment to creating a pet-friendly community and fostering the well-being of all citizens and pet companions.

“We established the BETTER CITY FOR PETS™ certification to celebrate cities that are creating positive and welcoming environments for people and their pets and encourage more cities to recognize the benefits of our four-legged friends,” said Jam Stewart, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Mars Petcare. “We’re excited to announce the inaugural group of certified cities and look forward to continuing this progress with The BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program.”

To learn more about how to get involved in this initiative, and for the full list of BETTER CITY FOR PETS™ certification recipients please visit www.bettercitiesforpets.com.