It’s September, kids are back at school, and many of us are looking forward to cooler temps as the perfect antidote to a long, hot summer. Things aren’t cooling off with the Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative, however; conferences are keeping us busy, we’ve developed a new pet-inclusive scorecard resource, and pets continue to be featured in the news with a recently published pet-friendly data study as well as the Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards. Also, please join us in welcoming our newest team member, Sara Muriello, who brings a wealth of animal welfare and leadership experience to her role as Senior Program Manager.
September 2023 Newsletter
What’s the Score? Leveling Up the Rental Housing Pet Game
If you’re one of the 70-80% of market-rate rental housing operators who accept pets, you probably would say yours is a pet-friendly property. But from whose perspective? The family with a 95-pound golden retriever? The single parent with two kids and a cat, struggling to make ends meet?
You might be surprised to know that in preliminary testing of the soon-to-be-released Pet-Inclusive Housing scorecard, the average score is only 49 on a 100-point scale. Read more to learn why, and how pet-friendly does not equate to pet-inclusive.
What the Vet Shortage Teaches Us About the Future of Pet Care
Michelson Found Animals’ own CEO, Brett Yates, sheds light on one of the most critical issues facing the U.S. pet care industry today - a severe shortage of veterinary care professionals, leading to a strained system creating frustration for veterinary staff, pet parents, and even life-threatening situations for companion animals.
Read the full article here to learn more about how we got here and what can be done.
A Psychologist Explores the Transformative Power of Pets on Mental Health
Any pet parent can affirm that the unconditional love they bring to us is one of the enormous benefits of including a pet as part of their family. But do we all realize the many positive impacts on our mental and physical well-being?
From decreasing anxiety and depression to increasing our physical activity and providing social stimulus, our pets are so much more than cute and cuddly companions. Explore this enlightening read here for all the details.
HABRI Announces Winners of Human-Animal
Bond Innovation Awards
The Human Animal Bond Innovation Awards, which recognize companies and organizations with innovative products and programs designed to advance the human-animal bond and create a more pet-friendly society, have been announced! Take a moment to see what some very recognizable organizations are doing in the areas of culture, public service, media, products, and infrastructure.
Pet-friendly NYC Homes Pay $250 Extra in Monthly Rent, Study Says
A rental price data study recently published by internet listing site Zumper revealed the nation’s most pet-friendly cities based on a number of metrics, including rental rate, percentage of pet-friendly units on Zumper, the number of parks and vets per capita, walk-score and air quality.
By this measure, NYC isn’t too pet-friendly and charges the highest increase from non-pet-friendly to pet-friendly units, and Richmond, VA, claims the top spot as the most pet-friendly city. Read more here, and be sure to click through to the study itself to see the various rankings.
Pet-Inclusive Housing Hits the August Conference Circuit
PIHI Program Director Ross Barker was honored to be invited to speak about pet-inclusive housing at two conferences last month. First, at Best Friends Animal Society’s National Conference, where he co-presented with the always insightful Kelsey Gilmore-Futeral from Best Friends. More recently, Ross presented at the New Mexico Humane Conference. These were great opportunities to continue spreading the message about the mutual benefits of pet-inclusive housing.
The PIHI team will be participating in Pet Week on Capitol Hill. Michelson Found Animals is proud to sponsor the event, happening the week of September 18! Pet Week, hosted by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), celebrates the power of pets with a weeklong series of free, educational programming that features experts in pet care, animal health, research, and policy coming together to raise awareness of the scientific evidence which shows pets are important to human health and our quality of life.
Don’t miss this year’s virtual programming! Be sure to visitwww.PetNight.com to learn more. #PetWeekonCapitolHill
Your Resources for Pet-Inclusive Housing,
Judy Bellack
Industry Principal,
Pet-Inclusive Housing
Michelson Found Animals
Ross Barker
Program Director,
Pet-Inclusive Housing
Michelson Found Animals
Sara Muriello
Senior Program Manager, Pet-Inclusive Housing
Michelson Found Animals
Michelson Found Animals, P.O. Box 1593, Culver City, CA 90232
The Pet-Inclusive Housing Initiative fields research that demonstrates the benefits of pet-friendly housing to rental housing operators, residents, and communities. Read the 2021 PIHI Report.
Michelson Found Animals Foundation
is a leading animal welfare non-profit that believes people and pets are better together. Learn more at foundanimals.org.
HABRI is a non-profit that funds innovative research to scientifically document the health benefits of the human-animal bond and informs the public about the beneficial role of companion animals in society. Learn more at habri.org
Michelson Found Animals, P.O. Box 1593, Culver City, CA 90232
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