Mars, a leading pet care company behind brands pets and pet owners love including ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANTECH®, is teaming up with the leading mental health company Calm to celebrate its second annual Mars Global Adoption Weekend and show how adopting a shelter pet can change two lives – both the pet’s and the pet parent’s. The weekend will also highlight the power of pets for mental wellbeing while encouraging adoption as a path to responsible pet ownership.

In the UK, there are an estimated 139,100 dogs and cats in shelters looking for loving homes.2 This Mars Global Adoption Weekend Mars is sponsoring Battersea Dogs and Cats Home flagship event “Walk For Rescue” and the company is also distributing adoption boxes throughout October to support new pet parents who adopt from a number of shelters across the UK, including: Battersea, Mayhew Animal Home, Raystede, Leicester Animal Aid Manchester Dogs Home, Edinburgh Dogs & Cats Home and Wood Green.

Rebecca Cooper, Executive Director of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH), said: “More and more people are discovering that the perfect pet isn’t just about a picture on social media – it’s about the lifelong bond you create. If you’re considering getting a pet, think about adopting one of the thousands waiting in rescue. By adopting from an ADCH member rescue, you not only give a pet a fresh start but also have the reassurance they’ve been responsibly cared for in line with our welfare standards – helping you find the right companion for life.”

As part of the campaign, a Sleep Story, exclusively available on Calm, has been recorded by the award-winning actor and rescue cat mom Shailene Woodley. The Sleep Story, “Finding Four-legged Friends”, is inspired by her own experience welcoming pets into her life and other amazing stories of four-legged friends changing the lives of those around them. It is part of the first-ever pet-inspired content collection on Calm created in collaboration with Mars, which also features free-to-access content (incl. meditations, breathing exercise, soundscapes and more), to help pet owners find calm and rest. During the month of October, Mars and Calm are supporting adoptive pet owners as they settle into parenthood by providing them with three months of free Calm membership.

Visit kinship.com/petsandwellbeing and follow @marsglobal for more information.