Cathy Bissell: Emptying America’s Shelters The

CATHY BISSELL: Emptying America’s Shelters

By Dina Ruiz

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CATHY BISSEL

Lives are on the line. You can’t turn it off. If animals are gonna be euthanized, you’ve got to respond! I’m working with a lot of rural shelters. They have nothing. Right now, we’re in the process of helping a shelter in Louisiana, and the Sheriff called me today to say, ‘You can’t imagine what this is doing for our community.’

Buying a Bissell vacuum helps spay and neuter programs across the country. The purchase of a carpet shampooer aids in establishing an animal shelter. Simply put, we clean up after our pets and it helps Cathy Bissell save lives. You’ve used or seen Bissell products for decades—shampooers, vacuums, steam cleaners, floor-care helpers. But you might not know that the director of corporate affairs (and wife of CEO Mark Bissell) has a grand plan to empty America’s animal shelters.

In her corporate position, Cathy Bissell is part of pet-specific product design. She fosters new ideas for equipment to help all of us who have two things: pets and floors. Bissell holds a patent for a product called “Shed Away” that helps with at-home pet grooming, and she uses her family’s creations just like many of us—her favorite is the Bissell CrossWave®, a lightweight wet/dry vacuum. She’s fearless, determined, and tenacious with animal causes, establishing the BISSELL Pet Foundation in 2011—a time when many corporations were pivoting into advocacy. “Social consciousness is great, but this grew authentically,” Bissell says. “We started off small, and it just kept growing. We now have 5,500 shelter partners (in all 50 states and Canada). We give out millions of dollars a year for transport, to help shelters, and for spay and neuter. I honestly never imagined it would be this, and I never imagined the happiness—and the sadness. If you care and you are in knee-deep, you’re gonna see the sadness. It’s a challenge.”

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina kick-started the formation of the foundation. Bissell had never been to an actual shelter, didn’t have the stomach for it, knew she’d leave in tears. But some friends asked her to get involved in helping animals who had been left homeless and misplaced after the massive storm. So, Bissell threw her first party to raise money for a Louisiana shelter. Subsequent parties picked up steam, and the money rolled in. Bissell says she wanted to divvy up the funds to other organizations. “I said to my husband, ‘How can I make this work? How about you give me a cut of your online sales for pet projects?’” He couldn’t say no. The BISSELL

Pet Foundation became official, and Cathy took on another title. And full-time job.

That initial visit stoked a fire in Cathy Bissell that changed her life, and she now spends several days a month in shelters around the country. The lean blond with striking blue eyes is a “boots on the ground” commander, always searching for nonprofits and shelters that are deserving of help. She lives it, breathes it, and loses sleep over it. “I’m on 24/7. No lie. My husband is like, ‘Can you turn it off?’” she says with a laugh. “Lives are on the line. You can’t turn it off. If animals are gonna be euthanized, you’ve got to respond! I’m working with a lot of rural shelters. They have nothing. Right now, we’re in the process of helping a shelter in Louisiana, and the sheriff called me today to say, ‘You can’t imagine what this is doing for our community.’” The excitement and emotion of the call still bubbled in Bissell’s voice.

Bissell is especially proud of her “Empty the Shelters” annual campaign, which started in 2016. The foundation selects then pays shelters so they can lower adoption fees to $25 dollars per animal. An astonishing 15,297 shelter pets went to new homes over two weeks in December of 2021. Forty-five states were represented. It cost the foundation more than one million dollars, and was worth every cent to Bissell, who says it’s a win-win for shelters and families. “They get a dog or a cat fully vetted, healthy, spayed, neutered. We’re actually saving new pet owners hundreds of dollars.”

Back at her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, six big dogs have the run of the house; most are seniors, one is blind, another has a bum leg that was almost amputated. Although Bissell doesn’t care what breed— or mix of many breeds—her dogs are, she wants to make something very clear to people who care about purebreds: They are in virtually every shelter. She showcases this point tirelessly for people, from friends to younger dog lovers she encounters who want a specific type of dog. “I do try to show in my social media posts that there are purebreds in shelters. I make posts that say, ‘Every time you purchase a dog, another one doesn’t make it.’ We need to be pulling

these dogs from shelters. People don’t realize there are so many beautiful dogs in shelters.” She references a photo of a glowing young lady cozying up to the French Bulldog she adopted during the recent Empty the Shelters event.

Despite the successes, the steady flow of funds, and the bottomless passion, there’s always the stark reality

of more to be done. Needs are met, then more needs arise. Bissell is realistic about the challenges. “One of the hardest parts is, I thought I’d be giving money away, but I realize I was a Band-Aid. My goal now is to get to the root of the problem, which is spay and neuter. I had a rough year last year. A lot of big dogs weren’t moving. Shelters were calling us that don’t euthanize animals saying that they were going backwards. It’s a community problem. Not a shelter problem. I had a tough year, with all the animals I knew were getting euthanized. Shelter directors were calling saying ‘Can you help? Can you help?’” The Foundation did all it could, but it never felt like enough. So, Bissell decided to refocus her efforts with a mantra of sorts. She reached out to a friend of hers, a scientist who has maintained his focus during a 22-year project. “I asked how he kept going. He referenced a lapel pin he wears that says, ‘Believe.’ I decided to focus on that one word—believe. We’re gonna start 2022 with a 100 percent positive attitude, and I believe we can!”

Cathy Bissell on Instagram: @Cathy_Bissell @Bissellpets

Dina Ruiz is a longtime Peninsula resident who has worked in the media for more than 20 years. She has been an anchor at KSBW-TV and featured on the TV shows “Candid Camera” and “Mrs. Eastwood and Company.” She is currently getting a master’s degree in creative writing at San Jose State University. Her Instagram handle is @dinaruiz.

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