celebrate with love, lead with pride

To kick off PRIDE Month 2021, try this at home: Take a look at your amazing, beautiful, totally original dog or cat… what a life, right? They live every day to its fullest and love you with all their heart. And they get to be exactly who they are, no pretending. Now that’s living!

We admit it… we’re a bit jealous. For some of us humans, being our true and authentic selves – and being loved and respected for who we are – isn’t always so easy. Especially for people in non-majority communities.

There’s good news, though… Courage, hard work, support, and love have led to progress. And during PRIDE Month 2021, we have some real achievements to celebrate, in the Banfield community and beyond. Is there still work to be done? No doubt – so it’s also a good time to connect, listen, dream, plan, and continue on the path toward a better world for people and a better world for pets.

Lead with pride

Banfield Pet Hospital is part of the Mars Petcare family – and that’s a great thing. Mars believes that we are at our best when we embrace and celebrate all people. In fact, Mars has long-been committed to fostering an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, be heard and valued.

This strong commitment to progress has helped pave the way for change at Banfield. Two of the most impactful changes we’ve made recently: Non-gender bathrooms, and pronouns on our name badges and email signatures. Seeing and accepting people as they identify is a small but significant step toward inclusivity.

We don’t just talk about equity, inclusion, and diversity – we actually live it and model it in the interactions we have with each other and the community,” says L. Kris Piland-Rice, DVM, Vice President of Veterinary Quality for Banfield’s South and Southeast regions, and co-executive sponsor of the Banfield Pride Network. “The work we do in communities is so important. It helps us gain knowledge and awareness about ALL the different cultures that exist in our world – including the LGBTQIA community – so we can provide culturally competent care for everyone.”

Lisa Stockmon, Banfield’s Chief Marketing Officer and co-executive sponsor of the Banfield Pride Network, wholeheartedly agrees: “Banfield should reflect society at large, and equity, inclusion, and diversity is very important as we continually support our Mars mission — diverse communities are strong, relevant, and necessary.”

Great things accomplished, more greatness on the horizon

There’s no doubt that COVID-19 made 2020 a challenging, exhausting, and sad year for us all. But through it all, everyone at Banfield worked hard to support the community, forge new relationships, and plan for the future – so that we will continue to be a place where our clients, associates, and community members can be exactly who they are, with pride.