PROGRAMME IMPACT
PROGRAMME IMPACT
Dniprov Region, Ukraine
100% Life Dniprov Region
100% Life Dniprov Region provides animal-assisted therapy programmes to foster holistic healing and resilience in war-affected populations.
"The support from Purina allows us to turn animal-assisted interactions into a powerful tool to help heal children and adults affected by the war in Ukraine. Thanks to this grant, canine-assisted therapy will reach those who need it most - communities living with constant stress and uncertainty."
Hexham, United Kingdom
Wag & Co
Wag is the only visiting dog charity tackling loneliness through befriending elderly people in their own homes as well as bringing comfort to patients and residents in care and medical establishments across the North East of England.
"This funding from Purina will allow us to expand our reach across the North East by supporting and recruiting 150 new volunteers into our organisation. It's testament to our 450 volunteers and their special dogs who bring companionship and comfort to those experiencing loneliness in the community."
Oxford, United Kingdom
Pets As Therapy
Pets As Therapy enhances the health and wellbeing of thousands of people in communities across the UK by providing therapeutic pet visits to establishments such as care homes, hospitals, hospices, schools, and prisons.
“Our ambition is to get to 10,000 volunteers by 2029 and being part of the BetterWithPets Prize accelerated our progress hugely.”
London, United Kingdom
StreetVet
StreetVet delivers free essential veterinary care and services to those experiencing homelessness.
"Winning the BetterwithPets Prize enabled us to scale and launch our hostel scheme, widening the pool of pets we are able to help."
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Canine Hope
A programme of Canine Perspective, a social enterprise, which provides and helps to develop emotional self-care and resilience for survivors of sexual violence and rescue dogs. Canine Hope celebrates the human-canine bond with the support of a rescue dog as a canine co-tutor.
Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Medical Detection Dog
A charity harnessing the powerful scenting ability of dogs to help detect the early stages of Parkinson’s disease in patients.
Germany
K9 Hundekunde: Happy Kids with Happy School Dogs
Provides a curriculum for school dog training, focused on animal welfare and effective learning methods for pupils. The goal of the initiative is to promote the training of teachers and their school dogs.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
OOPOEH Foundation
The OOPOEH Foundation strives to reduce loneliness and increase physical activity for the elderly by matching them as a dog sitter to a family in their neighbourhood.
"Winning the Prize has allowed us to increase our initiative’s social impact. We have continued with our project to target vulnerable seniors with the advice and inspiration taken from the BetterwithPets Forum."
Bergeijk, The Netherlands
Dutch Cell Dogs
A foundation providing a resocialisation programme for vulnerable target groups. The Dutch Cell Dogs Foundation guides prisoners in training dogs who have been maltreated and therefore likely to have behavioural problems, which can limit their chance of finding their future forever home.
Strasbourg, France
Association Evi'dence
A programme that makes animal mediation essential in the prison experience, during and after release, helping offenders grow and supporting them with reintegration into our society.
"Being a Purina BetterwithPets Prize finalist, substantiates our core message even more: animals can help humans to stay human or to get their humanity back, in a confined and isolated environment such as prisons."
Lyon, France
SoliVET
A cooperative network that supports shelters and housing facilities to allow the social reintegration of precarious animal owners with their companion.
"I am really excited to be part of the finalists. I want to thank Purina for this amazing opportunity. The Prize will allow us to quickly have an impact and change the lives of thousands homeless pet owners, to help humans and animals, together."
Paris, France
Gamelles Pleines
Gamelles Pleines works across France to help homeless pet owners feed, care, and keep their pets while harnessing the benefits of pet ownership for successful social reintegration.
"It’s more than winning a prize, it’s about sharing an idea and a project. For me, the most important issue was to make the invisible visible, so people can see homeless people and their pets differently. It’s a big win for homeless people."
Livron-sur-Drome, France
Acadia
Acadia trains assistance dogs for young insulin-dependent diabetics, keeping children safe and improving their and their families' living conditions.
"Winning the BetterwithPets Prize will allow us to train more assistance dogs each year, invest in specialist trainers and equipment, and significantly reduce waiting times for families in need. By expanding our programme, we can help ensure more children receive the help and support they need."
Madrid, Spain
Dogtor Animal
An academic initiative that explores the inclusion of dogs in the judicial system to humanize the courts, offer a coping mechanism for minors, and facilitate the work of court professionals.
"Thanks to this opportunity, our Courthouse Dogs project is growing, being able to be part of a great engine of global change. We can only say THANK YOU for making possible the impossible."
Barcelona, Spain
CTAC
Centro de Terapias Asistidas con Canes (CTAC) improves physical, emotional, and social outcomes for people through canine-assisted therapies.
"CTAC is proud to have won the BetterwithPets Prize 2023, making it possible to realise My Hands with My Lovely Paws, an inclusive project which trains young people with disabilities as professionals in animal-assisted therapies."