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Responsible Pet Ownership

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"Since 2008 the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has worked with The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Incorporated to advance our understanding of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI) through the review of existing and the funding of new scientific research in this field. The public-private Partnership that NICHD and Mars have formed has advanced the field of HAI by sponsoring workshops, producing edited volumes summarizing the current research knowledge base and funding new research studies that employ rigorous research methods to explore HAI as it relates to child development, health and the therapeutic use of animals with children and adolescents. The NICHD-Mars partnership is an example of how such collaboration can serve as a catalyst to a field of study and thereby advance scientific understanding in that field."
James A. Griffin, Ph.D. Deputy Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch Center for Research for Mothers and Children
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

At Mars, we are committed to improving the lives of pets. We believe that pet ownership brings tremendous benefits to people and communities.

Part of delivering those benefits is recognizing that having a pet is a big responsibility and that supporting healthy, happy pets comes with some challenges. We work on our own and with others to find solutions to those challenges through our products, services and research.

We are committed to providing quality products that help owners provide their pets with the appropriate nutrition. At the same time, we are committed to finding ways to source raw materials for our pet food responsibly.

Our responsibility goes much further than providing quality products. Together with other pet care industry members, we help to educate pet owners to take their own responsibilities seriously, whether this means training their pets or properly disposing of dog waste. For example, The BANFIELD® Pet Hospital brands has created FUTUREVET®, a program for veterinarians and teachers to help educate children about responsible pet ownership. The FUTUREVET® Program is designed to encourage children and young adults to pursue careers in pet health care and veterinary medicine.

Human Animal Interaction (HAI)

We know that people and pets have a special bond, and we are exploring how spending time with pets can improve our health and well-being. In partnership with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, we are investigating the roles pets play in promoting optimal development in children. We are also studying the clinical potential of human-animal interaction (HAI) for treating conditions as diverse as obesity, autism and post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adults.

Research has shown that owning pets can have a variety of health benefits, such as:

  • Pet owners are more likely to meet national guidelines for daily physical activity if they walk their dog.
  • Children in pet-owning families have been shown to be more active and less likely to be overweight or obese.
  • Pets can reduce the stress of difficult situations such as hospitalization, bereavement and divorce.

The project builds on research conducted by leading research institutions, including The Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition — the fundamental science center supporting Mars Petcare's brands. Our work aims to drive research to further our understanding of HAI and provide scientific evidence to determine the mutual health benefits.

The partnership has published two books on the role of pets in child health and development, based on a series of workshops co-hosted by the WALTHAM® Centre and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development:

  • "Animals in Our Lives: Human–Animal Interaction in Family, Community and Therapeutic Settings”, Edited by McCardle, McCune, Griffin, Esposito and Freund, Brookes Publishing Company.
  • "How Animals Affect Us: Examining the Influences of Human-Animal Interaction on Child Development and Human Health", Edited by McCardle, McCune, Griffin and Maholmes, Published by the American Psychological Association.

    A third book has arisen from a joint Mars – NICHD session on physical activity at the International Society of Anthrozoology

  • “The Health Benefits of Dog Walking for Pets and People; Evidence and Case Studies”, Edited by Johnson, Beck and McCune, Purdue University Press.

In 2010, a Mars Petcare survey of 1,000 pet owners in the U.S. indicated that more than half prefer to exercise with their pets, rather than alone, and many believe their pets make them more active.

Case Study

Getting Healthy with Your Pet

Click here to read the full case study

The PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive, active in 28 countries, is our platform for educating consumers about the benefits of adoption and helps make the world better for pets by finding homes for the millions of dogs that end up in animal shelters each year.

Case Study

Findings homes for pets

Click here to read the full case study

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