Purina promotes the human-pet bond

Purina has announced the winners of the Better with Pets Prize. The prize, with a fund worth 200 000 euros, honours the work of three organisations committed to enhancing health and wellbeing through the power of the human-pet bond.

With the support of the award, the winners can increase the positive input they make to their communities in the future and help to tackle some of the most urgent social issues. This includes initiatives such as free veterinary care for homeless pet owners, and pet visits or engagement with pets for people experiencing difficult life circumstances or with special needs.

The winning organisations are:

• Pets As Therapy (PAT), a national charity supporting the health and wellbeing of thousands of people across the UK. The non-profit organisation offers therapeutic pet visits to establishments such as care homes, hospitals, hospices, schools and prisons.
• Center de Teràpies Assistides amb Cans (CTAC), the mission of which is to improve the quality of life of people through pet-assisted intervention and therapies.
• StreetVet is a multi-award-winning British charity providing free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness.

Grants totalling 200 000 euros over two years will support the development of the organisations selected. In addition, Purina aims with its Better with Pets Prize to create a European network of like-minded social organisations, enabling knowledge to be accumulated and experiences to be exchanged with a view to making an even greater joint contribution to addressing these issues.