How a north Minneapolis pet resource center is responding to higher costs for pet owners
The organization My Pit Bull is Family plans to move its North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center into a larger space to provide pet food and supplies to more people.
Courtesy of My Pitbull is Family
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In recent years, the cost of having a pet has risen even faster than inflation in general. Average prices for pet-related goods and services went up 28 percent between June 2020 and June 2025. The cost of veterinary care went up 42 percent. Those numbers come from government data that tracks the prices of consumer goods and services.
Rescues in Minnesota have reported a surge in people giving up their pets for financial reasons.
The North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center is working to help people hold onto their animals by providing food and other supplies at no cost — and pointing them toward pet-friendly housing.
Shannon Glenn is the executive director of My Pit Bull is Family, the organization that runs the resource center. She spoke to Minnesota Now host Nina Moini about how her organization is helping pets stay with their families.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: In recent years, the cost of having a pet has risen even faster than inflation in general. Average prices for pet-related goods and services went up 28% between June, 2020, and June, 2025. In the five years, the cost of veterinary care went up 42%. Those numbers come from government data that tracks the prices of consumer goods and services. Rescues in Minnesota have reported a surge in people giving up their pets for financial reasons.
My next guest is working to help people hold onto their animals by providing food and other supplies at no cost and pointing them toward pet-friendly housing. Shannon Glenn is the executive director of My Pitbull Is Family, an organization that, among other things, runs a Pet Resource Center in North Minneapolis. She joins me now on the line. Thanks for being with us, Shannon.
SHANNON GLENN: Thank you so much for having me.
NINA MOINI: This is really tough. I'm sure this is the last thing people want to do. But some of these prices over the last five years-- just the cost of living. When you heard me say those numbers earlier, does that surprise you?
SHANNON GLENN: Not at all. It's exactly what we're hearing from our community members that we support through our programming. We're definitely seeing the impact locally and nationally on people and pets. And families are having to make a really, really hard decision of keeping their families whole or deciding to surrender their pets to local shelters and rescues.
NINA MOINI: And I remember that during the height of the pandemic, a lot of people were getting pets because they were home alone. And perhaps their cost of living was down because they weren't going out as much. When abouts-- I'm just curious to know, Shannon-- did you start to think, something's going on? People are really bringing a lot more pets back. Was it in the last couple of years? Or when did you start to go, something's going on here?
SHANNON GLENN: Honestly, we saw-- so for our Pet Resource Center programming, at the height of the pandemic, we saw a lot of families turning to us for the first time. These families had never needed to experience or utilize human service programs, and so people would walk through our door and be like, I need help with my pets. And we were able to connect them to various other resources as well. But present day, we are seeing more and more families really, really struggling to make ends meet. And I think we're only going to see that trend increase over the next few months to years.
NINA MOINI: Oh, that's tough. Tell us a little bit about North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center in particular and how you provide once somebody does come in and say, hey, I need some help. How do you begin to work with that individual on an individual basis to get them what they need?
SHANNON GLENN: Absolutely. So our North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center was a thought that I had had for years. I have been a resident of North Minneapolis for the last 10 years. I call North Minneapolis home myself, and so it's fantastic to be able to work with our neighbors.
But our Pet Resource Center opened its doors in 2019, so just before the pandemic. We had no idea what was about to happen. And now we see families and support about 1,500 pets every single month that come through our doors for food and supplies.
So when a family joins us, they walk in the door. They're greeted by our friendly front desk staff. They spend some time with one of our staff members that gets to know their pets and also gets to know them. We then can connect that family with our social work interns or myself.
We can talk as well. I have a background in human services and love connecting people to resources as they need. And then they leave with ideally a month's worth of food and supplies, so making sure that they are able to continue to feed their pets until they can visit us again.
NINA MOINI: And how are you able to keep up with all of this demand?
SHANNON GLENN: To be honest, keeping up with the demand is one of the hardest things for us. Right now, I just left our warehouse and counted the number of dog food bags we have left. We have 21 bags of dog food left, and we're hoping that we can get another large donation to make sure that we can continue to feed the pets that come through our doors. So we have very generous partnerships. We do purchase food at retail costs. We do everything we can to make sure that we can have food on our shelves to keep pets full.
NINA MOINI: And then, if I may ask, Shannon, what happens on your end if this family or individual does reach the point where they say, thank you for this help, but I really can no longer be the owner I want to be. Then what happens?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah, absolutely. We do a research study every year. We've been able to keep 99% of our community together with their pets.
NINA MOINI: Oh, wow.
SHANNON GLENN: But of course-- right? It's amazing. But there's always those instances where a decision does need to be made. And so we share resources, so local rescue groups. We partner very closely with Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.
Since we are located in North Minneapolis, the majority of our families are from Minneapolis and, of course, the surrounding areas. So we do our best to connect them with resources and lend that support in rehoming, because we're not a rescue, so we do not intake animals ourselves. But we want to make sure that those pets that are loved for and cared for can find a couch of their own as well.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so we've talked about the cost of providing for a pet, but there's also this idea of where the pet can live and housing for the individual family and if pets are allowed. I understand that you've done some work around trying to break down some of the barriers to pet-friendly, affordable rentals and homes. What are you working on there? Are you at the State Capitol for that or how does that advocacy work?
SHANNON GLENN: We are familiar faces at the Capitol-- also working with local government agencies as well. But in 2011, the organization was started by a landlord here in Minneapolis that realized her apartments were the only ones that accepted pitbull-type dogs within the Twin Cities. And since then, we've become a nonprofit. We now manage the nation's largest database of rentals that include all dogs. So we like to take it one step further from pet-friendly to say pet-inclusive or dog-inclusive because there's often 25 different types of dogs commonly discriminated against in rental pet policies, in addition to size and weight restrictions.
So here in Minneapolis, we are working hard to change those policies as well. But at the Capitol, we've removed breed restrictions in homeowners insurance, and that bill took about seven years for us to pass. So there's always work to be done on the policy level, but it's also a lot of conversations and helping tenants make sure that they can find places to live or set them up to have conversations with property owners.
NINA MOINI: So you're working on the housing end of things, helping families with resources. And then, of course, there's also-- we know that hunger is at a record high and people visiting our food shelves for their families, for their humans is at a record high. And I thought it was interesting that-- one of our producers who was talking with you before the show says that you say that people are actually more willing to get help for their pets than for themselves. And I thought that was really sweet. What do you see there?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah. I feel like oftentimes our families are coming through the door because that they need some help to support their pets. And they're often not thinking about themselves. They're wanting to make sure that their pets are cared for because oftentimes, pets are companions. They're often a lifeline for people. And so we are seeing more and more people coming in specifically for their pets and connecting them to additional resources.
We also partner really closely with two food shelves on the north side, North Point Health and Wellness and Sanctuary Covenant Church and their Haven Pantry. So we're there once a week at each location, making sure that we're providing pet food so that the people can also get food for themselves. Also, if it's not public knowledge, you can't use EBT to buy pet food. And so those families that are facing food insecurities, those funds are utilized to make sure that they're being cared for, but it leaves a gap for their pets.
NINA MOINI: Thanks, Shannon. Just lastly, if folks are listening-- because this is a problem everywhere, right? Across the state and beyond. And they're saying, I'm having a really hard time providing for my pet. I don't know what to do. Do you have any advice for folks on maybe a first step to take before reaching rehoming?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah, absolutely. Reaching out to local animal welfare organizations, also calling United Ways-- it's a national number. But they're starting to track those pet pantries, different programs that can support pets as well. So there is an increasing need and acknowledgment for the work that we're doing. So when in doubt, reach out. And we're happy to point you in the right direction, even if it's not with us.
NINA MOINI: Shannon, thank you so much for coming by Minnesota Now. We appreciate it.
SHANNON GLENN: Awesome. Thank you so much for having us.
NINA MOINI: Shannon Glenn is the Executive Director of My Pitbull Is Family, an organization that runs the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center.
My next guest is working to help people hold onto their animals by providing food and other supplies at no cost and pointing them toward pet-friendly housing. Shannon Glenn is the executive director of My Pitbull Is Family, an organization that, among other things, runs a Pet Resource Center in North Minneapolis. She joins me now on the line. Thanks for being with us, Shannon.
SHANNON GLENN: Thank you so much for having me.
NINA MOINI: This is really tough. I'm sure this is the last thing people want to do. But some of these prices over the last five years-- just the cost of living. When you heard me say those numbers earlier, does that surprise you?
SHANNON GLENN: Not at all. It's exactly what we're hearing from our community members that we support through our programming. We're definitely seeing the impact locally and nationally on people and pets. And families are having to make a really, really hard decision of keeping their families whole or deciding to surrender their pets to local shelters and rescues.
NINA MOINI: And I remember that during the height of the pandemic, a lot of people were getting pets because they were home alone. And perhaps their cost of living was down because they weren't going out as much. When abouts-- I'm just curious to know, Shannon-- did you start to think, something's going on? People are really bringing a lot more pets back. Was it in the last couple of years? Or when did you start to go, something's going on here?
SHANNON GLENN: Honestly, we saw-- so for our Pet Resource Center programming, at the height of the pandemic, we saw a lot of families turning to us for the first time. These families had never needed to experience or utilize human service programs, and so people would walk through our door and be like, I need help with my pets. And we were able to connect them to various other resources as well. But present day, we are seeing more and more families really, really struggling to make ends meet. And I think we're only going to see that trend increase over the next few months to years.
NINA MOINI: Oh, that's tough. Tell us a little bit about North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center in particular and how you provide once somebody does come in and say, hey, I need some help. How do you begin to work with that individual on an individual basis to get them what they need?
SHANNON GLENN: Absolutely. So our North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center was a thought that I had had for years. I have been a resident of North Minneapolis for the last 10 years. I call North Minneapolis home myself, and so it's fantastic to be able to work with our neighbors.
But our Pet Resource Center opened its doors in 2019, so just before the pandemic. We had no idea what was about to happen. And now we see families and support about 1,500 pets every single month that come through our doors for food and supplies.
So when a family joins us, they walk in the door. They're greeted by our friendly front desk staff. They spend some time with one of our staff members that gets to know their pets and also gets to know them. We then can connect that family with our social work interns or myself.
We can talk as well. I have a background in human services and love connecting people to resources as they need. And then they leave with ideally a month's worth of food and supplies, so making sure that they are able to continue to feed their pets until they can visit us again.
NINA MOINI: And how are you able to keep up with all of this demand?
SHANNON GLENN: To be honest, keeping up with the demand is one of the hardest things for us. Right now, I just left our warehouse and counted the number of dog food bags we have left. We have 21 bags of dog food left, and we're hoping that we can get another large donation to make sure that we can continue to feed the pets that come through our doors. So we have very generous partnerships. We do purchase food at retail costs. We do everything we can to make sure that we can have food on our shelves to keep pets full.
NINA MOINI: And then, if I may ask, Shannon, what happens on your end if this family or individual does reach the point where they say, thank you for this help, but I really can no longer be the owner I want to be. Then what happens?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah, absolutely. We do a research study every year. We've been able to keep 99% of our community together with their pets.
NINA MOINI: Oh, wow.
SHANNON GLENN: But of course-- right? It's amazing. But there's always those instances where a decision does need to be made. And so we share resources, so local rescue groups. We partner very closely with Minneapolis Animal Care and Control.
Since we are located in North Minneapolis, the majority of our families are from Minneapolis and, of course, the surrounding areas. So we do our best to connect them with resources and lend that support in rehoming, because we're not a rescue, so we do not intake animals ourselves. But we want to make sure that those pets that are loved for and cared for can find a couch of their own as well.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. And so we've talked about the cost of providing for a pet, but there's also this idea of where the pet can live and housing for the individual family and if pets are allowed. I understand that you've done some work around trying to break down some of the barriers to pet-friendly, affordable rentals and homes. What are you working on there? Are you at the State Capitol for that or how does that advocacy work?
SHANNON GLENN: We are familiar faces at the Capitol-- also working with local government agencies as well. But in 2011, the organization was started by a landlord here in Minneapolis that realized her apartments were the only ones that accepted pitbull-type dogs within the Twin Cities. And since then, we've become a nonprofit. We now manage the nation's largest database of rentals that include all dogs. So we like to take it one step further from pet-friendly to say pet-inclusive or dog-inclusive because there's often 25 different types of dogs commonly discriminated against in rental pet policies, in addition to size and weight restrictions.
So here in Minneapolis, we are working hard to change those policies as well. But at the Capitol, we've removed breed restrictions in homeowners insurance, and that bill took about seven years for us to pass. So there's always work to be done on the policy level, but it's also a lot of conversations and helping tenants make sure that they can find places to live or set them up to have conversations with property owners.
NINA MOINI: So you're working on the housing end of things, helping families with resources. And then, of course, there's also-- we know that hunger is at a record high and people visiting our food shelves for their families, for their humans is at a record high. And I thought it was interesting that-- one of our producers who was talking with you before the show says that you say that people are actually more willing to get help for their pets than for themselves. And I thought that was really sweet. What do you see there?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah. I feel like oftentimes our families are coming through the door because that they need some help to support their pets. And they're often not thinking about themselves. They're wanting to make sure that their pets are cared for because oftentimes, pets are companions. They're often a lifeline for people. And so we are seeing more and more people coming in specifically for their pets and connecting them to additional resources.
We also partner really closely with two food shelves on the north side, North Point Health and Wellness and Sanctuary Covenant Church and their Haven Pantry. So we're there once a week at each location, making sure that we're providing pet food so that the people can also get food for themselves. Also, if it's not public knowledge, you can't use EBT to buy pet food. And so those families that are facing food insecurities, those funds are utilized to make sure that they're being cared for, but it leaves a gap for their pets.
NINA MOINI: Thanks, Shannon. Just lastly, if folks are listening-- because this is a problem everywhere, right? Across the state and beyond. And they're saying, I'm having a really hard time providing for my pet. I don't know what to do. Do you have any advice for folks on maybe a first step to take before reaching rehoming?
SHANNON GLENN: Yeah, absolutely. Reaching out to local animal welfare organizations, also calling United Ways-- it's a national number. But they're starting to track those pet pantries, different programs that can support pets as well. So there is an increasing need and acknowledgment for the work that we're doing. So when in doubt, reach out. And we're happy to point you in the right direction, even if it's not with us.
NINA MOINI: Shannon, thank you so much for coming by Minnesota Now. We appreciate it.
SHANNON GLENN: Awesome. Thank you so much for having us.
NINA MOINI: Shannon Glenn is the Executive Director of My Pitbull Is Family, an organization that runs the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center.
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