Nestlé Purina PetCare Company Supports Canine Health with $219,203 Donation to the AKC Canine Health Foundation

The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to prevent, treat and cure diseases in all dogs, is pleased to announce that $219,203 has been donated by Nestlé Purina PetCare Company to support canine health through the Purina Parent Club Partnership (PPCP) Program.

“Purina is proud to partner with the AKC Canine Health Foundation,” said Ann Viklund, Director of Conformation for Purina and a member of the CHF Board of Directors.  “We share a commitment to improve the lives of dogs and their owners everywhere through our support of canine health research.”

There were 193 national parent breed clubs that participated in the PPCP Program in 2016. An equal amount of $219,203 raised through the PPCP Program went directly to the participating parent clubs for education, research and rescue efforts. Since it began in 2002, the PPCP Program has raised more than $6.5 million, half of which supports canine health research funded by CHF, and half going directly to the clubs.

The PPCP Program enables Purina Pro Club members who participate in the program to designate a breed of dog and submit weight circles (similar to proofs of purchase) from qualifying Purina brand dog foods. An annual donation based on the value of the submitted weight circles is split equally between the national parent clubs’ Donor Advised Funds at CHF to support canine health research, and the parent clubs.

PPCP funding returned to the individual clubs has been used to help support educational outreach programs such as scholarships, library support, youth programs and conservation education programs. It has also been used to support judges’ education seminars and to produce breed specific and responsible dog ownership educational materials.

“Parent clubs that participate in the PPCP Program support CHF research programs, such as oncology, tick-borne diseases, epilepsy, and bloat,” said Dr. Diane Brown, CHF CEO. “Each of these program areas has far-reaching impact not only on the health of a particular breed, but for all dogs.”

In addition to PPCP funds, Nestlé Purina also supports the Foundation’s mission as a corporate partner, sponsors CHF’s biennial National Parent Club Canine Health Conference, and has selected CHF as their nonprofit partner in the annual #DogThanking social media campaign during the National Dog Show. Since 1997, Purina and the Foundation have shared a mission of supporting canine health research to benefit all dogs.

“The AKC Canine Health Foundation is extremely proud of the 20-year partnership we have with Purina,” said Dr. Brown. “In addition to their generous monetary and in-kind support, their dynamic team invests heavily in promoting our mission and extending our outreach to dog lovers throughout the world. We are grateful to have a shared goal with Purina of improving the health of all dogs and their people.”