Adopt a Pet’s Shelter Plus Program Helps Pets and People Thrive

Across the country, animal adoptions are on the rise — topping four million nationwide in 2024 — but so are the challenges facing shelters and rescues. Behind every successful adoption is a hardworking team making it happen, often with stretched budgets and packed kennels. In a field already marked by high levels of burnout and compassion fatigue, the pressure grows daily.

That’s why Adopt a Pet created the Shelter Plus program in collaboration with IAMS® and PEDIGREE®. This innovative support system provides financial relief to shelters and rescues and offers behavioral and emotional resources to both staff and adopters. It’s all about helping everyone in the adoption journey thrive.

“Every adoption story has two sides,” Daniela Lopez, content manager for Adopt a Pet, says. “The pets who need homes, and the people who make that possible. Shelter Plus was designed to care for both.”

Tangible savings, measurable impact

Shelter Plus offers partner shelters and rescues bulk-food discounts and reliable deliveries, saving thousands of dollars each year. For shelters such as Pasco County Animal Services (PCAS) in Florida, the benefits appeared right away.

“We knew we’d save money, but had no idea just how much,” the PCAS staff says. “We saved over $950 on the very first order! We can’t wait to see what these savings mean for the pets in our care and our community programs.”

Those savings go straight into lifesaving work such as medical care, enrichment programs, and spay-neuter efforts — making a real difference.

“The Shelter Plus feeding program has been fantastic!” Burlington Animal Services (NC) says. “As an open-admission shelter, we care for lots of animals both here and in foster homes, and we provide food for all of them. The savings from Shelter Plus let us stretch our resources and save more lives.”

Support that goes beyond the bowl

The real innovation of Shelter Plus is its holistic approach: an investment in both staff wellness and animal welfare. 

Participating shelters and rescues get access to:

• Kindly Human, which connects shelter staff with personalized mental-wellness and peer-support services, helps reduce compassion fatigue and promote resilience in an often-overlooked workforce.

• Fear Free® offers training that helps animals feel calmer and transition more smoothly into homes, improving behavior outcomes and reducing stress for adopters.

• And shelters and rescues become a Certified Platinum Partner on Adopt a Pet.

Together, they build a caring community that supports both the people and pets who make adoption possible.

Confident beginnings for all adopters

Adopters who bring home pets from Shelter Plus partners get the support they need for a smooth start.

• A free sample bag of PEDIGREE® or IAMS® pet food

• A coupon booklet with offers from brands such as  PEDIGREE®, IAMS®, Nutro, Royal Canin, Greenies, Temptations, Pretty Litter, and Whistle

• Training, behavior, and nutrition tips from dog training basics to cat behavior issues

With the right tools and support, Shelter Plus helps reduce returns and prepares families for the understanding that adoption is for life.

How shelters and rescues can participate

Eligible shelters and rescues must meet a minimum number of annual adoptions, have a physical facility for food deliveries, and fall within an active distribution route (expanding nationwide). The onboarding process typically takes 30 to 60 days from application submission to the first delivery.

Interested organizations can learn more and apply at shelterplus.adoptapet.com.

Fueling a movement for pets and people

At a time when shelters and rescues are expected to do more with less, models built on empathy, efficiency, and connection are needed more than ever. Shelter Plus delivers on this by feeding animals, supporting people, and fostering trust — proving that adoption isn’t just a transaction. It’s a partnership that can transform communities, one home at a time.

“Shelter Plus is about more than affordable pet food for shelters and rescues,” Lopez says. “It’s also about supporting the people behind every adoption, from the shelter teams to the families who open their hearts and homes. When both pets and people are cared for, everyone wins.”