£175,000 Purina Better With Pets Prize Launches

The winning organisation(s) will win a grant of up to £175,000 (€200,000) over a two-year period. The total prize fund may go to one organisation or be shared between a number of entrants and will provide crucial funding and resources to make a positive impact on the lives of individuals, pets and their communities.

A group of elementary age children are playing with a golden retriever outside at the park.

The BetterwithPets Prize initiative is part of Purina’s new commitment to help 1 million people in vulnerable situations improve their health and wellbeing through the power of the pet human bond by 2030. Purina recognises it cannot achieve this commitment alone and so is encouraging organisations to enter the Prize and join the community to make a difference.

To help raise awareness of the BetterwithPets Prize and encourage organisations harnessing the power of the pet-human bond to apply, Purina has partnered with Dr Amit Patel, a qualified doctor, best-selling author, and disability rights campaigner. Amit is registered severely sight impaired (blind), having lost his sight to keratoconus in 2013. He has a close relationship with his guide dog, Kika, and is hugely passionate about the power of the pet-human bond.

Dr Amit Patel said: “The BetterWithPets Prize is a unique opportunity for those working to improve the health and wellbeing of humans through the pet-human bond, to gain support, insight, awareness and funding for their ventures. As someone who comes from a medical background but now relies on my guide dog Kika to provide independence and security, I know first-hand how important having a pet by my side can be, not just in providing physical support but also for my mental wellbeing too.”

Calum Macrae, Regional Director of Purina UK&I said: “We know there is strength in the pet-human bond and that it has the power to be a positive force for change in society. We are proud of what we have achieved so far through the BetterWithPets Prize but know there is more to be done and so urge organizations or social enterprises working to support people in vulnerable situations by the power of the pet-human bond, to apply for the Prize and join this community.”

Woman during pandemic isolation walking with her dog in park

Purina launched the BetterwithPets Prize back in 2018. Previous UK winners include StreetVet, which was awarded the resources to develop their first accredited hostel scheme to provide shelters for homeless people and their pets at the height of the pandemic when accommodation for the homeless was a key issue. A grant was also previously awarded to UK charity Medical Detection Dogs, which trains dogs to detect human disease with the aim of developing faster, more efficient and less invasive diagnostics that lead to better patient outcomes.