Pet Supplies Plus Partners with Merrick Pet Care, KONG to Support Veterans in Need

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Pet Supplies Plus has teamed up with Merrick Pet Care and KONG to support K9s For Warriors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing service canines to the nation’s veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and/or military sexual trauma as a result of military service post 9/11. In an effort to assist the overall training and placement of dogs supporting veterans, Pet Supplies Plus will be donating $100,000. Merrick is donating 10,000 cans of Backcountry dog food while KONG is choosing to give 10,000 toys to the organization that is striving to change and save the lives of pets and veterans.

K9s For Warriors carefully selects dogs for its program from animal shelters across the country and is extremely thorough when selecting critical pet products that are used to help pets undergoing training at their facilities. As a result, Pet Supplies Plus worked closely with the nonprofit to determine which pet products are critical to the overall well-being of its canines before and long after they’re matched with their warrior.

“We’re humbled and proud to partner with Merrick Pet Care and KONG in an effort to give back to the brave men and women who’ve served our country,” said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. “There are countless veterans who are in need of assistance after returning to civilian life. We stand behind K9s For Warriors’ mission to save the lives of veterans by saving the lives of high-kill shelter dogs and training them to mitigate the invisible wounds of our country’s heroes. We hope to honor those who have served our nation by recognizing how significant a bond is between a veteran and their service dog.”

Pet Supplies Plus continuously seeks to partner with local organizations that share its commitment to aid rescue animals as they strive to place them into forever homes. Since 2015, Merrick has provided the K9s For Warriors rescue dogs with all their meals and treats as they train for their service of empowering their warriors to return to civilian life. Additionally, KONG, an American brand known for its durable, rubber chew toys, has been the organization’s preferred toy brand for several years since its products encourage play and offer enrichment while helping to prevent behavioral challenges in each pet.

“At Merrick, we know there’s nothing more powerful than the bond between a pet parent and their pet—especially when a veteran with PTSD is paired with a rescued service dog,” said Barbara Liss, vice president of Marketing for Merrick Pet Care. “We’re excited to partner with Pet Supplies Plus to continue to support K9s For Warriors and their efforts to transform lives; it’s incredible to watch the journey of a veteran and rescued service dog from shared trauma to shared healing.”

“We believe in the enrichment of dogs and the people that share their lives,” said KD Frueh, president of the KONG Company. “We want to foster an environment where veterans play with their dogs helping form an unbreakable bond and companionship that makes a difference in their daily lives. We design and make dog toys with the intent of durability, safety and of course ones that are packed full of fun to help support this environment. We are proud that a KONG Classic Dog Toy is the first toy these wonderful rescue dogs receive and one that we are sure will last for many enriching play days to come.”

Merrick products have been available in Pet Supplies Plus for more than six years while KONG has been in stores for 40 years.

See the photo gallery of the check presentation here!