BETTER CITY FOR PET™ CERTIFICATION LOCAL MARKET RELEASE

Contact: Kate Marshall, Animal Protective Service 910-477-1486 [email protected]

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 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.

About BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ The BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program was created by Mars Petcare US, the world’s leading pet nutrition and health care business, to help communities become more pet-friendly by bringing the voice of pets and their owners to places of influence and advocating for fewer pets in shelters, more pet-friendly places, and happier, healthier lives for both people and pets. Mars Petcare works with key partners, businesses and local governments to better understand how to improve communities by: providing safe and welcoming shelters that lead to forever homes; encouraging pet-friendly, responsible homes for pets; welcoming more pets into local businesses and giving pets plenty of park space to play. For

BETTER CITY FOR PET™ CERTIFICATION LOCAL MARKET RELEASE more information about Mars Petcare and the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, visit BetterCitiesForPets.com.

About Mars Petcare Mars Petcare is a diverse and growing business with 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™. With 75 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world’s pets – including brands PEDIGREE®, ®, ®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, ®, CESAR®, ™ and ™ as well as The WALTHAM™ Centre for Pet Nutrition which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through a network of over 2,000 pet hospitals including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, PET PARTNERS™, VCA™, LINNAEUS™ and ANICURA™. We’re also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog , and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND™ programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

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