Pet food brand Pedigree shows Indie dogs some love in new campaign

ZEE5 India, the creative partner of the campaign, brings forth the real-life tales of people and their experience of adopting stray dogs.

Genuine friendships are forged, not bought, and this is especially the case across species. Many NGOs in India encourage interested families to adopt Indie dog breeds and the latest brand to do so is Pedigree.

Pedigree is a dog food brand from MARS Petcare, an Indian pet food and nutrition brand. It has launched its all-new stray adoption campaign. The #BeIndieProud campaign aims at promoting and facilitating Indie stray dog adoption, backed by 30-plus partner NGOs across the country.

India has a high predominance of stray dog population, with lack of vaccinations, birth control, shelters or foster homes for them. A study conducted by MARS Petcare in nine countries, with 15,000-plus respondents, stated that India has a low EPH of 2.4 on a scale of 10, as opposed to the global average of 8.1.

ZEE5 India, the creative partner of the campaign, brings forth the real-life tales of people and their experience of adopting stray dogs. The film shows three real-life narratives of people from different walks of life, who tackled different barriers around stray adoption and have welcomed them into their loving homes.

India has an estimated stray dog population of 62 million that are not cared for, nor are they welcomed in homes. There is a persisting stigma against stray dogs and their behaviour. There is a lack of awareness about their conduct, as people are more breed-centric than dog-centric.

With the #BeIndieProud campaign, Pedigree aims at eradicating pet homelessness by providing as many helpless pets as possible with loving home through this campaign. MARS Petcare partnered with 30-plus NGOs and has dedicated a toll-free number to facilitate these adoptions and aims to reach a target of 5,000 adoptions.

Talking about the campaign, Ganesh Ramani, managing director, MARS Petcare, said, “The Pet Homelessness Index showed that India has a low EPH of 2.4, and a huge population of stray dogs that are overlooked. There are various stigmas around stray dogs and their behaviour. We have undertaken various initiatives, like pet health camps, thought leadership seminars, Indie dog shows, vaccination drives, etc,. to create awareness and conversation around stray dogs. With the #BeIndieProud campaign, we aim to encourage stray dog adoption and see that all pets are wanted, cared for, and welcomed in people’s lives.”

Gaurav Kanwal, chief revenue officer, ZEE5 India, added, “Dog adoption has seen an upsurge in India, but the strays who are fighting many odds in dismal conditions and probably the ones who need a home the most, are unfortunately the last to be picked. As a socially responsible brand, we were excited to join hands with MARS Petcare for the campaign and bring forth the real-life stories of some of these canines finding their forever homes.”

“At ZEE5, our endeavour has been to identify the varied facets of human emotions and create relatable content, which resonates with our audience. With this film, we aim to drive awareness around the need to adopt the strays and welcome them to a friendly home environment. We are positive the campaign will witness widespread acceptance and, together, we will be able to make the world a better place for our very own furry friends.”

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