Freshpet helps shelter pets with holiday video

Social media star Marnie the dog stars in Freshpet’s holiday video as head elf in Santa’s workshop.
The 13-year-old Shih Tzu is joined by other dogs and cats in elf costumes with human hands making and wrapping toys and treats for pets on Marnie’s nice list. The list includes other Internet pet stars such as Doug the Pug, Lil Bub, Hamilton the hipster cat and Mishka the talking Husky. Denver the guilty dog and Princess Monster Truck appear on the naughty list.
At lunchtime, the dog elves dine on Freshpet’s food.
The video, from Los Angeles-based Shareability, was shot in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will also help feed shelter animals. Freshpet will donate one meal to a shelter pet for every share of the video.

Charlee Bear to sponsor pet adoption tour

Charlee Bear Dog Products, maker of the original Charlee Bear Dog Treats and grain-free Bear Crunch Dog Treats, will sponsor FIDO Friendly magazine’s 7th annual Get Your Licks on Route 66 month-long pet adoption tour. The cross-country series of events begins September 11 at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Riverside, California, USA.
Get Your Licks on Route 66 will visit animal shelters in 15 cities to support adoption events and help shed light on the plight of homeless pets. In its first six years, the tour has assisted in placing more than 3,000 animals with adoptive families. This is the third year that Charlee Bear has sponsored the tour.
 “Charlee Bear is proud to support FIDO Friendly on its annual Route 66 tour of shelters to aid in finding forever homes for pets who are in need,” says Ava Olsen, brand manager for Charlee Bear Dog Products. “Just as our simple, wholesome treats help reinforce the bond between dog and human, the tour brings attention to thousands of animals who so desperately need a loving family. Charlee Bear will continue to support shelters doing important, life-saving work.”

Friskies teams up with cat stars for a cause

Famous felines Grumpy Cat and Nala Cat will join cat lover and WWE star Natalya Neidhart in unveiling the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen, where cats and Friskies foods will go head-to-head in a truly unique way.
Leading #TeamSaucy and Friskies SauceSations, notorious curmudgeon Grumpy Cat will "compete" with sweet Nala Cat, who will take charge of #TeamTender and represent Friskies Grillers with Meaty Tenders. Attendees at the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen on Thursday, August 20, 2015, at 1701 Broadway in New York City will have the opportunity to meet and take photos with Grumpy Cat and Nala Cat, interact with Neidhart, and participate in fun, cat-food themed activities to help donate up to 10,000 meals to shelter cats.
"At the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen, we are having a lot of fun with the fact that cats have different personalities and unique food preferences and we're matching Grumpy Cat and Nala Cat's preferences against one another in a fun, light-hearted way," said Whitney Evans, assistant brand manager at Friskies. "Friskies' Grillers and SauceSations are two unique products and it makes sense that two very different cats have different preferences. That's what cats are all about!"
Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen attendees will have the chance to participate in games and activities for both teams that will trigger a donation of one Friskies meal to shelter cats, up to 10,000 meals. People outside New York can still help shelter cats by sharing whether their cat is on #TeamSaucy, like Grumpy Cat or on #TeamTender, like Nala Cat. Every use of the hashtags on Twitter and Instagram between now and August 24 will trigger a donation of one Friskies meal to shelter cats.
In addition to generating meal donations to shelter cats, Friskies has partnered with Petfinder to help showcase adoptable shelter cats at the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen who need to find forever homes. People who attend the event on August 20 will have the opportunity to take home an adoptable cat.
Well-known cat lover Neidhart will also be in attendance to interact with fans and cats alike.
"As an owner of four cats who are all very different, I am honored to work with a brand like Friskies that truly understands cats can have distinct personalities," said Neidhart. "Participating in the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen surrounded by Grumpy Cat and Nala Cat is a dream. And on top of that, we're having fun and working to help out shelter cats; it's just an experience I couldn't pass up!"
To build anticipation for the public opening of the Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen, the brand is offering a two-day preview of the space. On August 18 and 19, passersby can get a glimpse into the cat-controlled kitchen through peep holes in the window displays. Stop by between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on August 18 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on August 19 to see what the adorable shelter cats are cooking up.

Schedule

Thursday, August 20 – Doors open to the public
Open Hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Celebrity appearance schedule:

• 9-11 a.m.: Nala Cat
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.: Grumpy Cat
• Noon-2 p.m.: Natalya Neidhart
• 2-3:30 p.m.: Nala Cat
• 4-5 p.m.: Nala Cat
• 5:30-7 p.m.: Grumpy Cat

 The Friskies Create & Taste Kitchen is located at 1701 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

Plato Pet Treats gives back with Plato Wags Back program

As part of its mission to provide health and safety for dogs through nutrition, California-based wholesome dog treat maker Plato Pet Treats has launched its first-ever Plato Wags Back program.
With the purchase of a bag of Plato Pet Treats, Plato will provide meaningful financial and product donations to rescues and shelters across the US to help ensure that dogs are treated with love until they find their forever home. Additionally, throughout 2015, Plato Wags Back will directly aid three California rescue-based organizations – Shelter to Soldier, Fresno Bully Rescue and Labsandfriends.org – that either feed and care for homeless dogs or help enhance the lives of veterans who need assistance animals.
Plato Wags Back’s mission is to champion the love and bond between dogs and people by treating every dog with kindness while enabling them to live a safe and healthy life. To make a difference in the lives of homeless dogs, supporters can participate in the program in the following ways:

• With the purchase of Plato Pet Treats, a donation will be made to animal rescues.
• Through Dec. 31, 2015, for every new Like on the Plato Pet Treats Facebook page, $1 will be donated to support veterans post deployment. Follow the page to learn about other ways to help homeless animals.

There are close to 7 million homeless pets in the US, with nearly 2.7 million animals likely to be euthanized this year alone. Compelled by these staggering statistics, Plato Pet Treats formalized Plato Wags Back to encourage Americans to help homeless pets and consider adoption.
“Dogs give us so much love and we want to return that love to dogs who need it most,” said Aaron Merrell, co-founder and co-owner of Plato Pet Treats. “From sponsoring dog runs to adopting our first “Plato” canine to be trained as a service companion for a US veteran, we are ecstatic to provide a voice to homeless animals through Plato Wags Back. Our goal is to continue to grow our program year over year to make a significant impact on the pet homelessness epidemic in our country.”
Plato Wags Back Partner Organizations
Shelter to Soldier: A nonprofit organization that rescues shelter dogs and trains them to be psychiatric service companions for wounded combat veterans. Every 63 minutes, a US veteran commits suicide and every 11 seconds an animal is euthanized; Shelter to Soldier works to aid and partner together two- and four-legged friends. Through the Wags Back program, Plato will fund the complete training of one dog (named Plato) at the San Diego-based training school. In addition, every Shelter to Soldier dog adopted will go home with Plato treats.
Fresno Bully Rescue (FBR): A volunteer-based, nonprofit, no-kill shelter dedicated to rescuing Bully breed dogs in the Central Valley of Calif. Because of foreclosures in the state, an overwhelming amount of dogs are being surrendered and Bully breeds are typically the first to be euthanized if no one adopts or rescues them. Plato Wags Back will support FBR’s spay and neuter program.
 Labsandfriends.org: An organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of Labrador retrievers and their “friends” in the greater Los Angeles area. The group’s goal is to find the right family for every animal they rescue by providing education and compassion. Labsandfriends.org is run completely by volunteers, so all donations go toward helping animals in need. Plato Wags Back will be sponsoring one of the Lab runs located at Best Friends Animal Society's NKLA Pet Adoption Center in Los Angeles.

Mars to donate food to kitten rescued at plant

Mars Petcare will donate a one-year supply of Sheba, Iams and Temptations treats to the new adoptive owner of a kitten that was rescued after it hitched a ride under the truck that belongs to an employee of the Mars plant in Hackettstown, New Jersey, USA.
The orange and white tabby kitten reportedly traveled 28 miles inside the engine compartment of a pickup truck from East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania to the Mars chocolate plant when the truck’s owner went to work. The three-to-four-month-old kitten survived the ride without injury.
Police and employees of the Hackettstown Department of Public Works and Mars helped free the kitten, who ran a short distance before he was caught.
 If no one claims ownership of the kitten by July 10, it will be put up for adoption. Dozens of interested adopters have called the shelter where the kitten is being held.

70 pets find homes during Woof Gang Bakery adopt-a-thon

Nearly 70 deserving pets were adopted during Woof Gang Bakery’s second adopt-a-thon event held on May 9, 2015. Another 26 pet adoption applications are in progress. The event, held in collaboration with more than 70 local animal rescue groups, was hosted at 42 Woof Gang Bakery stores across six states.
Local animal rescue organizations also received donations from customers and Woof Gang Bakery. Donations included nearly 2,600 pounds of pet food, $9,800 in goods and veterinary services, and $500 in grooming services, including baths and grooms for newly adopted dogs.
Adoptions resulting from the event included a lovable 150-pound English Mastiff and a Labrador Retriever who had been in foster care and in need of a permanent home for more than a year. At Woof Gang Bakery Jacksonville, Florida, USA, funds were raised to provide surgery for a Staffordshire terrier who suffered BB gun injuries. That dog also was adopted that day.
 Throughout the entire year, Woof Gang Bakery strives to help raise awareness for the more than 7 million adoptable dogs and cats across the country. Working with local pet rescue organizations, Woof Gang Bakery aims to assist shelter animals and help them find forever homes.

VCA Charities, Hill’s mark 1 million meals for pets in need

Marking the serving of one million meals to pets in need, VCA Charities and Hill’s Pet Nutrition celebrated the major milestone in their five-year partnership at the St. Joseph’s Center in Venice, California, USA, where the pet food assistance partnership began in 2010.
The partnership with Hill’s helps support the VCA Pet Food Pantry program, initiated by VCA Charities five years ago to provide pet food to pet parents stricken by the economic downturn. At that time, an increasing number of pets were being taken to animal hospitals for euthanasia or abandoned when their owners could no longer bear the cost of caring for them.
Since that time, the VCA Pet Food Pantry program has expanded to more than 20 locations throughout the United States and Canada, providing free pet food to clients of existing food pantries.
“We started the Pet Food Pantry program to provide healthy, nutritious pet food to families who could not otherwise afford it in the local communities we serve,” said Art Antin, chief operating officer for VCA Animal Hospitals. “By providing these one million free meals, we have helped many families in need hold on to the loving and comforting bond their pets provide.”
St. Joseph Center’s Executive Director Dr. Va Lecia Adams Kellum said: “The Food Pantry is the primary gateway to St. Joseph Center's efforts to help working poor families achieve and maintain stability as they make their way toward lasting self-sufficiency. With the VCA Pet Food Pantry on-site, our families don’t have the additional burden of worrying how they will be able to feed their companion animals.”
Working with VCA Charities, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, the maker of the Science Diet, Prescription Diet and Ideal Balance brands, currently donates premium pet food to more than half of the VCA Pet Food Pantries across the US, and has made a commitment to expand the current partnership by supporting additional pet food pantries with pet food donations over the next few years.
“Our mission at Hill’s is to help enrich and lengthen the special relationships between people and their pets,” said Kostas Kontopanos, president of Hill’s Pet Nutrition, North America. “We want to help transform lives, and this partnership with VCA Charities allows us to do that by keeping a pet with its family during a time of need when its unconditional love is most needed.”
In furthering its mission, Hill’s has a long-standing history of helping pets in need through its Food, Shelter & Love program, which has donated more than $280 million worth of Hill’s Science Diet brand foods to more than 1,000 shelters in the U.S.
Hill’s also comes to the aid of communities impacted by disaster. In the past two years, the Hill’s Disaster Relief Network has delivered free pet food to 60 shelters and veterinary clinics across the country in response to 25 major incidents to feed displaced pets.
VCA Charities continues to support programs, organizations, and causes that promote pet healthcare education, proactive veterinary care, proper pet nutrition, and prevention of cruelty to animals. In furthering its mission, VCA Charities partners with the American Red Cross in their Disaster Relief Network, and provides free exams, boarding, and vaccinations for pets displaced or injured during a disaster or emergency.

Pedigree launches Feed the Good global marketing campaign

Pedigree Brand has launched a new global marketing campaign called Feed the Good.
Created by BBDO, Feed the Good is Pedigree’s first global campaign in years and is based on the simple, yet universal insight that dogs bring out the good in people as their innocence helps us reconnect with our own.
"Studies attest how the companionship of animals transforms and improves people's lives," said Leonid Sudakov, chief marketing officer, global petcare, Mars Inc.  "By nourishing the loveable innocence in every dog, Pedigree helps feed the good they bring to the world."
Pedigree will roll out Feed the Good creative, as well as other integrated marketing elements beginning in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand and the US, with additional markets slated for later in 2015 and 2016. The global insight will fuel all of the Feed the Good executions, but the creative content is contextually relevant for the markets where it will be featured.
Above and beyond television, print and online advertisements, the campaign will feature various additional integrated marketing efforts including in-store displays, social media, consumer promotions and public relations. In some markets, like New Zealand, the campaign will be supported with world-class digital solutions developed in collaboration with companies like Google.
A 'Good Fight' in Australia
The first television commercial in the Feed the Good campaign began airing on May 4 in Australia. Titled “Good Fight,” the spot opens on several young adults on a street corner who are poised to fight. Just as it's about to get really heated, one of them notices a loose dog in the middle of a busy street with a despondent owner on the far sidewalk. Suddenly the men forget about their issues and sprint to help protect the dog. The relieved owner joins the two men who saved his dog to thank them – the fight long forgotten.
'First Days Out' in Brazil
Feed the Good launches in Brazil via an online documentary film that follows the real-life journey of two ex-cons – Joey and Matt – who each adopt dogs upon their release from prison. The emotional three-minute video, called “First Days Out” profiles all of the good that comes from these unlikely pairs, including new opportunities, blossoming friendships and mended fences. In addition to the documentary, Pedigree will release a 30-second television commercial called “Dogs World” in Brazil later in 2015.

Three Dog Bakery food drive kicks off

Three Dog Bakery has launched its annual Feed a Dog Food Drive to help local dogs in need. Participating Three Dog Bakery stores across the United States, Canada, and Hong Kong are holding food drives to help feed dogs in their local communities.
Three Dog Bakery was founded out of love and the desire for all dogs to live long, healthy and happy lives. One of the goals of the Three Dog Bakery is to support dogs in need. In keeping with that mission, participating Three Dog Bakery stores around the world have partnered with local animal rescue organizations to feed shelter dogs. The dog food drive kicked off May 1, and will run for the entire month.
“This is a wonderful event that we are proud to support every year,” said Jamie Wiebrecht, executive vice president of franchise operations and client experience. “There are many phenomenal organizations that are dedicated to serving homeless and neglected animals. We are extremely happy that we can play a role in raising awareness about shelter dogs while helping to provide thousands of pounds of food. Our hope is that the Three Dog Bakery food will help these organizations continue to make a difference for animals in their area.”
According to the Humane Society of the United States, 6-8 million animals in the U.S. go into shelters each year. Consequently, there is always a need for more food. Every dollar raised will feed a shelter dog one meal. The Three Dog Bakery Feed a Dog Food Drive gives the community an easy way to support local dogs in need. All they have to do is make a donation at their local Three Dog Bakery, and the bakery will do the rest.
Since the inception of Three Dog Bakery’s Feed a Dog Food Drive in 2011, more than 50,000 pounds of dog food has been donated to dogs in need. In addition to the contributions collected in the bakeries, Three Dog Bakery Headquarters will donate up to 500 pounds of additional food and treats to the three bakeries with the most donations.

Natural Pawz makes record donation to Houston shelters

Houston, Texas, USA-based Natural Pawz pet supply and grooming chain celebrated National Pet Day on April 11 by donating 100,000 pounds of dog food to local animal shelters and rescue groups.
The donation purportedly was the largest pet food donation in the city’s history, and was four times larger than the company’s recent annual donations. The donation, valued at US$250,000, will feed 5,000 shelter dogs for six to eight weeks.
The food was donated by Merrick, Nature’s Variety and Petcurean. For every pound of Nature’s Variety purchased, Nature’s Variety donated a pound, with a total donation of 10,000 pounds, which went to the city’s the Rescue Bank National Pet Food Distribution Program.
"Natural Pawz’s generous donation is a huge benefit to the Rescue Bank community in Houston,” said Elizabeth Asher, executive director, Rescue Bank. "Nature's Variety is a great food; receiving 10,000 pounds of puppy food at the height of puppy season will help us support the smaller rescue groups that struggle with resources. In turn, more puppies will be saved from shelters or the streets.”
Natural Pawz warehoused and inventoried all 100,000 pounds of food and delivered 30,000-40,000 pounds to the City of Houston BARC Animal Shelter, 35,000 pounds to the Houston Humane Society, and 10,000 to the Rescue Bank. Twenty other local rescue groups each received 700 pounds of food.
"We really wanted to spread the food out as much as we could to affect as many people as possible,” said Biff Picone, who co-owns 15 Natural Pawz stores. "We wanted to do something that made a statement in Houston and increase awareness and that’s what we think we did.”

Passion for animals ties Jackson Galaxy to the pet food industry

Improving the lives of companion animals is common goal of celebrity animal trainer and the pet food industry.

The passion to improve the lives of companion animals is what drives many in the pet food industry. That same passion caused Jackson Galaxy to transform from a part-time musician and animal shelter employee to one of the country’s best known cat behaviorists. Galaxy, the host of “My Cat From Hell” on the Animal Planet network and author of several books on cat behavior, was the keynote speaker at Petfood Forum 2015 in Kansas City April 28.
“My passion for passion for animals is what ties me to you,” he told the audience. “We are all people that are not OK with the status quo. I wasn’t ok with cat euthanasia. I am not ok with the average life span of cat being 14 years. I have a 23-year-old cat at home. Part of the reason that cat is still here is the passion of people like you who were not satisfied with feeding them the same thing.”
Galaxy said he now teaches that one of the basic needs of cats is better nutrition, which allows them to live longer. He thanked the pet food industry for the improvements it’s made in cat food over the past 20 years.
He said food is one of the key drivers in keeping a cat happy. “Cats do one thing really well, and that’s hunting,” he said. “If you can let your cat hunt, eat, groom and sleep, they will be very happy.”
Galaxy was working at an animal shelter in Boulder, Colorado, USA, when he first started studying cat behavior. He saw the connection between training and socializing the cats in the shelter and raising the adoption rate. So he studied more on cat behavior. He says he learned dog training clicker reinforcement dog training tricks and adapted them to cats.
“At that point, my passion for animals took over,” he said. “I took over adoption and then became community outreach manager. Was able to convey passion for animals to other people.”
He was teaching basic cat behavior to people adopting cats, and return rates went down. When someone called to give up a cat, he went and talked to them, and could often solve the problem that was leading to the cat being given up for adoption. Within a short time the shelter was euthanizing fewer cats.
Galaxy says his methods are about teaching people how to empathize with the animal. “We don’t get cats, because they aren’t dogs,” he said. “It’s only a little over a 100 years ago we started bringing cats into the house.”
 Today, Galaxy works with shelters and organizations across the country to improve the lives of animals in shelters and reduce euthanasia rates.

Merrick to donate US$25,000 in pet food

Merrick Pet Care will donate US$25,000 in Merrick pet food – nearly 50,000 meals – to local pet shelters and animal rescues as part of its Merrick’s Homeruns for Shelters campaign held this spring in conjunction with the start of baseball season.
Merrick’s Homeruns for Shelters Facebook program culminates with a US$1,000 donation of the company’s all-natural food to a local shelter for every home run hit by home teams during Opening Day baseball games this month.
Merrick invited its Facebook community of pet parents to nominate and vote on their favorite local shelters to receive a US$1,000 food donation. During baseball home openers this April, home teams racked up 25 total homeruns for a grand total US$25,000 donation.
“Every pet deserves a healthy meal, especially those pets most in need awaiting their forever home,” said Mark Sapir, vice president of marketing for Merrick Pet Care. “What better way to help them thrive than to knock it out of the park for them at the start of baseball season.”
 “With more than 600 shelter nominations, more than 16,000 votes, and 25 homers leading to 25 local shelters receiving free food, we are thrilled our pet parent community came out in a big way to support their local shelters,” said Sapir.

Jackson Galaxy: how petfood companies can help needy pets

Jackson Galaxy, star of My Cat From Hell and keynote speaker for Petfood Forum 2015, believes that, in addition to donating petfood and money to organizations that care for and support homeless pets, petfood companies can encourage their employees to volunteer for such groups or foster homeless pets.

“I think what the workers can do on a personal level is what everybody should be doing—which is volunteer, foster,” Galaxy said. “You know, make the job easier on the people [who work at shelters] and the animals. And also, it connects you in a way that doing other things may not. Whatever it is that you can do. If your heart can’t stand going into an animal shelter, I get it. And if that means just opening your wallet and spreading the word, God bless you for doing that.
“That said, if you can, you do exactly what I’m asking everybody to do, which is to take one step over your personal challenge line,” he continued. “I talk about the challenge line a lot with cats on my show, and if you have a challenge line, you take one step over what you might be comfortable with. For instance, if every day, you leave to go for work and you see that same cat under a car down the street, and every day, you put down a little bit of food for that cat, what’s that next step?”
Galaxy, who will present his Petfood Forum keynote on Tuesday, April 28, gave examples such as finding out how to trap, neuter and return the cat to the neighborhood or making neighbors aware of stray cats in the neighborhood so all could decide how to best help the cats. He also stressed the need for fostering homeless pets. “Man, we need foster parents like you wouldn’t believe.”
Later in the morning of April 28, after Galaxy speaks, Petfood Forum participants can enjoy a visit with pets from two Kansas City area humane organizations: Great Plains SPCA and the Kansas City Pet Project, whose innovative work helping homeless pets was lauded by Galaxy. The groups’ visit is sponsored by Trouw Nutrition USA.
For more information or to register for Pefood Forum, visit PetfoodForumEvents.com.

Nature’s Variety, Best Friends Animal Society team up

Three to four million healthy and adoptable pets are killed in America's animal shelters each year because they haven’t yet found a home. To help increase awareness of and save the pets available for adoption, Nature's Variety, makers of the Instinct brand and newly named Official Pet Food Partner of Best Friends Animal Society, is launching Long Live Pets.

Adopters of shelter and rescue pets across the nation are being invited to submit photos of their pets to be the potential stars of what will be a groundbreaking, crowd-sourced film that showcases the happiness of adopted dogs in their new lives. The short film, which will premiere on national TV this spring on the Nat Geo WILD network, will also help promote the mission of Best Friends to end the killing of animals in America's shelters.
"Our company purpose – something we live every day – is 'empowering people to transform the lives of pets,'" said Reed Howlett, CEO of Nature's Variety. "Best Friends Animal Society is a natural partner in this mission because they have been transforming – and saving – the lives of pets for more than 30 years."
According to Best Friends, an estimated 9,000 adoptable pets are killed in America's shelters each day. In recognition of Best Friends' goal of reducing this number to zero, the campaign strives to receive at least 9,000 photo submissions.
To participate in the campaign, consumers can go directly to LongLivePets.com or submit their photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #LongLivePets.

Wellness Natural, WellPet donate US$1.7 million in petfood

Wellness Natural Pet Food and the WellPet Foundation have made a US$1.7 million in-kind donation of Wellness petfood to PetSmart Charities for distribution to five shelters in Arizona and Indiana serving pets in need. The Wellness petfood donation represents the largest-ever volume donation received by PetSmart Charities, and the single-largest donation by the WellPet Foundation, and will help thousands of dogs and cats in need.

The shelters, all adoption partners of PetSmart Charities, include Heartland Small Animal Rescue in South Bend, Indiana, and, in Arizona, the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, Pima County Animal Care in Tucson, Maricopa County Animal Care in Phoenix and Pinal County Animal Care in Casa Grande.
"Thousands of homeless pets will benefit because of our partnership with WellPet," said Jan Wilkins, executive director, PetSmart Charities. "WellPet's generous US$1.7 million Wellness petfood donation will make it possible for many of our animal welfare partners to not only feed homeless pets, but use the money they would have spent on food to make life better in other ways, too, for the pets in their care."
Wellness and the WellPet Foundation have a long history of helping animals in communities across the country. "Helping pets in need is part of the Wellness 'All Ways Well' brand promise, which includes extending the nutritional benefits of Wellness natural petfood to all pets," said Chanda Leary Coutu, senior communications manager for WellPet. "We're sincerely honored to have the opportunity to join PetSmart Charities in supporting the well-being of dogs and cats at these shelters.

BOGO Bowl helps pets in need with food, cash gifts

When a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of BOGO Bowl petfood for their own pet, one bag is automatically gifted to an organization of the customer’s choice, with free shipping.

Petfood company BOGO Bowl helps pets in need by providing shelters, rescues or similar organizations with petfood or other monetary gifts.


When a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of BOGO Bowl petfood for their own pet, one bag is automatically gifted to an organization of the customer’s choice, with free shipping.
A new offer for 2015 is BOGO Bucks, a cash gift for the organization if food isn’t what they need. After polling its more than 100 recipient partners on how BOGO Bowl could exceed their expectations and more efficiently help them achieve their missions, it was discovered that some organizations had enough food, but were struggling in other areas: vet bills, volunteers couldn’t afford gas for critical rescue missions, many needed to hire administrative help.
“I believe we’re the first to not only offer the option of gifting one bag for every bag purchased, but if an organization needs cash for administrative, vet or other fees over petfood, we send them a check,” said Sara Henderson, founder of BOGO Bowl.
By using BOGO Bucks, organizations can spend money on anything their organization needs. Once a BOGO Bowl customer buys a bag of food for their own pet, they choose a recipient organization from a list of existing BOGO Bowl partners, or the customer can add a new legitimate organization of their choosing. BOGO Bowl will then contact that organization to determine if they’d like a quarterly petfood match or a quarterly cash gift.
“We do our best to work with every partner individually,” Henderson said.  “We want the program to work for them.  In turn, we ask that they give away our samples at their events, invite their fans and followers to join BOGO Bowl on social media and do everything they can to encourage supporters of their organization to support us.  It’s an easy equation - the more people who purchase BOGO Bowl for their everyday petfood needs, the more organizations and pets in need we can help.”

Hill’s Pet Nutrition helps feed shelter animals

US-based Hill's Pet Nutrition has two charitable programs that partner with animal shelters to provide quality petfood to animals in need.
Established in 2002, Hill's Food, Shelter and Love program has donated more than US$275 million worth of Science Diet brand foods to more than 1,000 shelters nationwide. The aim of the program is to boost the health of shelter animals so they are more adoptable. Since its creation, the program and has helped more than 7 million pets find new homes. Food, Shelter and Love is active in all 50 US states and helps feed more than 100,000 homeless pets in more than 800 shelters daily.
Hill's Disaster Relief Network is an intervention that provides petfood to communities affected by natural disasters. In the wake of disasters, petfood owners often have trouble obtaining food for their animals. The Disaster Relief Network distributes emergency petfood through a nationwide network of 100 shelter partners. To date, Hill's has contributed to relief efforts in the aftermaths of Hurricanes Sandy, Isaac and Katrina; tornadoes in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri; and fires in Colorado Springs, Arizona and Idaho.

Blue Buffalo reaches 1 million pet adoptions in campaign

In participation with the Blue Buffalo Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption campaign, the Monmouth County, New Jersey-based SPCA introduced the Ferrier Family to its newest member—a cat named Watermark. Blue Buffalo announced that Watermark's adoption officially marked one million pets adopted in the company's holiday adoption drive.

In celebration of the Home 4 the Holidays campaign reaching its goal of 1 million pets adopted, Blue Buffalo is hosting an event to honor the adopting family and the shelter. The Ferrier family will receive a one-year supply of Blue Buffalo product for their new cat and the Monmouth County SPCA will be gifted with 2,500 pounds of food. Event attendees will hear remarks from the family and the Monmouth County SPCA, and receive a tour of the adoption facility.
"We couldn't be more proud of the work that the Monmouth County SPCA is doing in the region to provide a safe haven for homeless, abused and abandoned pets," said David Petrie, vice president at Blue Buffalo. "The Ferriers' adoption of Watermark is a testament to the tremendous efforts being made at the shelter to prepare animals for adoption."
Blue Buffalo partnered with the Helen Woodward Animal Center for the Blue Buffalo Home 4 the Holidays campaign, founded in 1999. Each year, the three-month adoption drive aims to save the lives of orphan pets and raise awareness about the importance of pet adoption during the holiday season. Blue Buffalo and the Helen Woodward Animal Center's partnership created a coalition of more than 4,000 international pet adoption agencies, facilities and rescue groups. The campaign has saved more than 10 million pets since its inception.

Solid Gold Pet donates US$500,000 in premium petfood

Solid Gold Pet has partnered with Petco to donate an estimated US$500,000 of premium petfood to selected charities across the US. The partnership kicked off at the beginning of January 2015.

"We strongly believe in the benefits of good pet nutrition for all pets and are proud to partner with a leading specialty pet retailer like Petco to help make a difference to dogs and cats in need," said Michelle Higdon, CEO of Solid Gold Pet. "We know that great nutrition makes all of the difference in the world to a pet's quality of life. We call this bringing out their Inner Gold." 

Banfield Charitable Trust, Royal Canin launch holiday petfood drive

Banfield Charitable Trust and Royal Canin invite pet owners and advocates across the US to participate in and support the ninth annual holiday petfood drive. The program, launched Dec. 1, 2014 and running through Dec. 24, features 12 days of promotions that will raise awareness about pet hunger, collect petfood and raise funds to benefit senior citizen pet owners needing support in the care of their companions.
Through the 12 Days of Joy Pet Food Drive, Royal Canin encourages consumers to drive donations by sharing snapshots of the joy their pets bring to everyday life. The donations will benefit seniors who need the support to keep their companions, but struggle with mobility and costs. Together with Banfield Charitable Trust, Royal Canin will encourage fans to post photos of their pets that bring delight to their lives, and in return will donate food to those in need.
How to participate:

• Make a monetary donation: Make a monetary donation at www.banfieldcharitabletrust.org or at Banfield Pet Hospitals to fund grants for local Meals On Wheels petfood programs. For donations of US$10 or more, KONG will donate a toy to the pet of a Meals On Wheels client.
• Donate bags and cans of dog and cat food at one of Banfield Pet Hospital's 870+ locations across the US.
• Submit a pet photo on Royal Canin's Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages. A photo submission will account for 20 pounds of food donated.
• By submitting pet pictures, users are also entered to win a daily prize from Royal Canin. During the month of December, additional information (and new ways to win) will be provided on Royal Canin's social networks.
The program runs through Dec. 24, 2014.