The Humane Society of the United States has launched a campaign to address the pet poverty crisis exacerbated by inflation: The More Than a Pet campaign will raise awareness and provide solutions to keep pets happy, healthy and in their loving homes.
As inflation pushes prices higher, many families across the country are struggling to afford veterinary care, food and supplies for their beloved pets. Nowhere is this more acute than for families who were already experiencing systemic poverty. According to the latest consumer price index, the cost of pet products and services is up by more than 9% year over year. With more than 20 million pets living in poverty—a number three times greater than the number of pets entering shelters every year—this is a long overlooked national crisis. People are often forced to choose between meeting their own needs and the needs of their pets, and too often they completely lack access to veterinary care, pet inclusive housing, and other vital pet resources like food and supplies. No family should ever be in this position.
To address this issue, the Humane Society of the United States has launched a new campaign called More Than a Pet, with the help of our campaign partners Smalls, Ollie, Motel 6, TQL and others. The mission of the campaign is to raise awareness and provide solutions to increase access and keep families and their pets together, happy and healthy. Grammy-winning musician Mya is also supporting the campaign along with her dogs Tango, Jemma and Jax and her cat Journey.