Press release

MINI USA SUPPORTS PET ADOPTION WITH BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  December 7, 2021. No matter the road ahead, having the right co-pilot along for the ride can help. That’s why MINI USA and Best Friends Animal Society are partnering the weekend of Dec. 10 to 12, with no-cost adoptions at Best Friends locations across the country just in time for the holiday season.

“According to our MINI Rules of the Road, we believe in having a co-pilot who’s ready for adventure, whether human or furry.” said Rah Mahtani, Brand Communications Manager, MINI USA.  “The MINI community is very pet-friendly, so we are proud to partner with Best Friends Animal Society, and we can’t think of a better way to help support animal welfare than by making it easier to adopt a pet in need just in time for the holidays.”

“Whatever life has in store, having a pet makes everything better. Pets provide constant companionship while drastically reducing stress, which many of us can really appreciate these days,” said Julie Castle, CEO at Best Friends Animal Society. “The holidays are a great time to adopt and thanks to MINI, we hope to get a record number of dogs and cats into loving homes this season.” 

MINI USA is sponsoring all adoption fees at Best Friends locations over the weekend as an incentive to help more people become new pet adopters, according to Castle. 

“All pets from Best Friends are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped, so it's really fantastic to be able to save the adoption fee, as well, to put towards pet supplies for your new best friend,” Castle added.

While adoptions were up the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the last six months have proven challenging for animal shelters. Intake has been higher, staffing has decreased, and adoptions have dropped, resulting in overcrowded shelters and thousands of pets waiting longer than usual for homes. That’s why MINI USA stepped in to sponsor adoption fees and help promote the joys of adopting a new best friend this holiday season.

MINI USA has been a charity partner with Best Friends Animal Society since 2014, helping support the organization’s focus of working with shelters and animal welfare organizations across the country to help homeless pets get a second chance at a new life.  In addition, MINI owners are animal lovers with over 60 percent of owners who have a pet as part of the family.

Best Friends locations in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City, and Kanab, Utah will offer a combination of in-person and virtual events over the weekend, following appropriate local COVID-19 protocols. Virtual adoption meet and greets with pets in foster homes will also be available through Polk County Animal Services (FL), Catawba County Animal Services (NC) and Antietam Humane Society (Waynesboro, PA). To find a location near you, click www.bestfriends.org/location.

“Everyone at Best Friends is so grateful to MINI USA for helping us with our drive to adopt more dogs and cats into new homes,” Castle said. “Their generous sponsorship will result in a lifetime of love for many people and pets.”


About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to about 347,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs all across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 3,300 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.

About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 110 MINI passenger car dealers. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.
 
Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.


Contact:
Andrew Cutler
Head of Corporate Communications
MINI USA
201.307.3784
andrew.cutler@miniusa.com

Michelle Sathe, 
Public Relations Manager
Best Friends Animal Society 
661.803.2909, 
michellesathe@bestfriends.org 

Rob Duda
MINI USA News Bureau
908.347.1243
rduda@peppercomm.com