MINI USA and the Best Friends Society announced today that they will be joining forces this weekend to spur on adoptions ahead of the holiday season. Between December 10 to 12, MINI USA will be paying all adoption fees at the Best Friends Society locations in a gesture of goodwill. “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. 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.

Adoptions went up throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but animal shelters have had a difficult time in the following six months. The intake of abandoned pets has increased, staffing has reduced, and adoptions have dropped, resulting in congested shelters and thousands of pets waiting for homes for longer than usual. MINI USA stepped in to pay adoption expenses and help spread the word about the benefits of adopting a new best friend this Christmas season.

Since 2014, MINI USA has been a charity partner with Best Friends Animal Society, assisting the organization in its mission to collaborate with shelters and animal welfare organizations around the country to help abandoned dogs find new homes. MINI owners are also animal enthusiasts, with over 60% of MINI owners having a pet as part of the family. If you’re looking to adopt, the Best Friends Animal Society has shelters in Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Northwest Arkansas, Salt Lake City, and Kanab, Utah to list just a few.