Katherine Schwarzenegger, a self-proclaimed dog lover/animal advocate, is making headlines this month as she partners with Bounty (the paper towel company) for her latest contribution to the animal rescue community.
For the entire month of May, Schwarzenegger and her Quicker Picker Upper colleagues will be picking up adoption fees for shelter pets at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. No pun intended.
And not only will this partnership lead to countless adoptions, but Schwarzenegger will also use the attention from this campaign to share the many benefits of having a pet in the family home. Specifically, she wants to share how pet ownership can teach kids valuable lessons in responsibility, empathy, and unconditional love.
“I feel like homes are not complete unless there is some sort of an animal in the home. Being able to teach kids from an early age about responsibility and unconditional love is such a huge gift.” – Katherine Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger’s journey into the exciting animal rescue world began when she fell head-over-paws for a pup named Maverick as a young college graduate. She and her sister rescued Maverick and his siblings from under a freeway overpass in Los Angeles.
Maverick and his littermates were just three weeks old when they were rescued by the Schwarzenegger sisters. At this young age, raising a pup can come with many challenges. Unwavering in their commitment, the girls dedicated themselves to fostering the tiny puppies in their mother’s garage.
These compassionate sisters bottle-fed the tiny babies and nursed them back to health. It didn’t take long to find good homes for the pups, but Schwarzenegger couldn’t bear to let them all go. She had grown incredibly attached to one of the boy babies whom she had named Maverick.
“I became very attached to him and just could not imagine having him be adopted by anybody else. I just fell in love with him,” she said. “That introduced me to the whole world of animal rescue and all of the amazing work that organizations like Best Friends Animal Society do.” – Katherine Schwarzenegger
Young Schwarzenegger decided to officially adopt Maverick, a mixed breed who her mother lovingly refers to as a “California Blend,” in 2013. Maverick has been her very best friend ever since. He is the inspiration for her newly released children’s book: “Maverick and Me.”
Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends animal sanctuary, hopes that many more children will have the opportunity to follow in Schwarzenegger’s footsteps thanks to the Bounty initiative.
“She (Katherine Schwarzenegger) and her family fell in love with Maverick, a dog they were fostering, and ended up making him a permanent part of the family. Together, they’ve been sharing the joys of pet adoption ever since. I hope this May and with this partnership, more people get to experience that joy for themselves”. – Julie Castle
Maverick is now the beloved dog of the Schwarzenegger family, sharing love and affection with Katherine and her husband Chris Patt, along with their two children. Katherine can often be overheard saying how playfully jealous she is that Maverick may now love her children more than herself. All jokes, of course.
Julie summarizes the excitement we all feel for this great news, saying:
“A big woo-hoo to Bounty for turning their Quicker Picker Upper tagline into lifesaving action and a shout-out to Katherine for her kindness and commitment. Here’s to record-breaking adoption numbers this month and to moving the no-kill needle forward. Together, we will Save Them All.” – Julie Castle
Featured Image: Instagram