MARS Petcare, a pet food, and nutrition company has launched a new stray adoption campaign for Pedigree, its most popular dog food brand.
The #BeIndieProud initiative, which is endorsed by 30+ partner non-profits around the country, aims to promote and facilitate Indie stray dog adoption.
Due to a shortage of immunizations, birth control, shelters, and foster homes, India has a large stray dog population.
According to the MARS Petcare Pet Homelessness Index, India has a low EPH of 2.4 on a scale of 10, compared to the global average of 8.1, according to a survey conducted by MARS Petcare in 9 countries with 15000+ respondents.
The campaign’s creative partner, ZEE5 India, brings to life real-life stories of people who have adopted stray animals.
The film depicts three real-life stories of people from all walks of life who overcame various obstacles in the adoption of stray animals and welcomed them into their loving homes.
There are an estimated 62 million stray dogs in India who are neither cared about nor welcomed into homes. There is still a negative perception of stray dogs and their conduct. People are more breed-focused than dog-centric, thus there is a lack of awareness regarding their behavior.
Pedigree’s #BeIndieProud initiative strives to end pet homelessness by offering loving homes to as many helpless pets as possible. MARS Petcare has worked with over 30 non-profit organizations and established a toll-free number to facilitate adoptions, with a goal of 5000 adoptions.
Ganesh Ramani, Managing Director of MARS Petcare, said that the Pet Homelessness Index found that India has a low EPH of 2.4, and a large number of stray dogs that are disregarded. There are many negative stereotypes about stray dogs and their behavior.
He said that they have held pet health camps, thought leadership workshops, independent dog shows, vaccination campaigns, and other events to raise awareness and start a conversation about stray dogs.
They want to encourage stray dog adoption and show that all pets are desired, cared for, and embraced in people’s lives with the #BeIndieProud campaign.”
Gaurav Kanwal, Chief Revenue Officer, ZEE5 India said that dog adoption has experienced an uptick in India, but the strays who are fighting many difficulties in deplorable conditions, and possibly the ones that need a home the most, are regrettably the last to be picked.
He continued that they were thrilled to partner with MARS Petcare for the campaign and share the real-life stories of some of these dogs finding their permanent homes as a socially responsible company.
Their goal at ZEE5 has been to uncover the many dimensions of human emotions and create meaningful content that connects with our viewers.
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