Pedigree Brand Celebrates Dogs Unwavering Support with Essential Support Dogs Program

The past 14 dog years – that's two in human years – have been tough on everyone, but they have been made a little bit easier with the unwavering support of our most essential companions – dogs. In fact, 23 million households added a pet during the pandemic, and 84% of pet parents say their emotional bond with their pets increased during that time.

Today, the PEDIGREE brand, proudly part of the Mars family of brands, is launching its Essential Support Dogs program, designed to celebrate dogs as essential supporters through challenging times. As part of the program, the PEDIGREE brand has created a nationwide support fund that will provide up to $2.5 million in nutritional and financial assistance across the US to help ensure dogs can stay with their loving families. All pet parents are eligible for discounts on their PEDIGREE dry products, and families in need may also sign up for ongoing financial support at EssentialSupportDogs.com.

"Dogs have been our biggest champions over the past few years, providing us with companionship and support when we've needed it most. It's time that we give back to them," said Jean-Paul Jansen, vice president of marketing for Mars Petcare North America. "The PEDIGREE brand's Essential Support Dogs program strives to provide critical nutrition and care for deserving pets. We're inviting pet parents across the country to join us in recognising these essential supporters and furthering our ambition to end pet homelessness."

“After everything dogs have done for us over the last couple of years, it doesn’t seem fair that financial pressures have the potential to break that valuable bond between a pet parent and their dog. PEDIGREE Essential Support Dogs is a nationwide fund designed to celebrate & protect this relationship, so people aren’t forced to surrender their much-loved dog because they can’t afford to feed or care for them.” - Maria Devereux, Colenso BBDO chief innovation officer

“PEDIGREE’s ambition is to end pet homelessness and we’ve helped them produce a heritage of innovative ideas that live up to this. But rather than simply focusing on adoption, Essential Support Dogs delivers to this in a new way. By addressing a huge pain point for pet parents, PEDIGREE is able to act as a safety net, making sure people and pets can stay together.” - Nico Ainsworth, Colenso BBDO group business director

To celebrate how dogs support their pet parents, the brand teamed up with Walmart to offer discounts in-store for PEDIGREE dry products. Now through July 26th, pet parents across the country can receive $2 off their next purchase of PEDIGREE dry products. Those who are seeking financial assistance can sign up for the program online at EssentialSupportDogs.com to receive additional coupons for PEDIGREE dry products over the course of three months. 

Starting today, pet parents can share a video or photo on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or Twitter showing why or how their four-legged friend is essential. For each post between May 10th and July 26th that shares the campaign hashtag #EssentialSupportDogs and tags the PEDIGREE brand's account, the PEDIGREE brand will donate $5, up to $100K, to PEDIGREE Foundation to provide assistance for dogs in need through its Safety Net grants. These grants were established by PEDIGREE Foundation with the goal of keeping people and pets together through immediate assistance with medical expenses, nutrition or temporary housing. The Safety Net grants will be awarded to shelters and organisations this summer based on their program's ability to keep people and their pets together through hardships.

Built off the belief that pets make the world a better place, the Essential Support Dogs program is part of the work Mars, Incorporated and its other much loved petcare brands are doing to create a world where pets are healthy, happy and welcome. Because the world we want tomorrow is A Better World for Pets™. 

To learn more, please visit here. Those interested in donating to the cause or wanting to purchase a dog tag can check out here or the DOGS RULE. store.