American Dog Owners Embrace the Power of a Furry Hug!

ST. LOUIS, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Do you and your dog love to hug? You're not alone. According to a recent survey* of U.S. dog owners, which was conducted on behalf of Beneful Baked Delights dog snacks, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of those surveyed hug their four-legged friends more often than certain people in their lives. Further, 30 percent of the dog owners surveyed say they hug their dogs more than their relatives and one quarter (26 percent) say that the hug their dogs more than their best friends!

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120405/NE82583-a )

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120405/NE82583-b )

On April 10, 2012, dog owners across the country are invited to share the power of a furry hug by participating in the first-ever Beneful® Baked Delights™ Hug Your Dog Day. The virtual Hug Fest, which is designed to celebrate the love we share with our dogs and the launch of the new dog snack line, is taking place on the Beneful brand Facebook page (Facebook.com/Beneful) beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 10. 

To kick-off the day's celebration, Eric Stonestreet, dog lover and Emmy Award-winning actor on the hit TV show "Modern Family," and his 12-year-old rescue dog Coleman Hawkins, are sharing the first official hug in a fun video featured on the Facebook page.

"Coleman just brings out the hug in me," said Stonestreet. "We are best buddies and have so much fun together which is why we are excited to share the first hug to kick-off Beneful Baked Delights Hug Your Dog Day. Of course, sometimes he plays hard to get, in which case I'll have to bribe him with one of these tasty new dog snacks."

Beneful® Baked Delights™ Hug Your Dog Day Details

There are a number of ways dog lovers can participate in Beneful Baked Delights Hug Your Dog Day on April 10. One way is to upload a photo of you hugging your dog to the Beneful Facebook page. You can also tweet, post on Facebook or post an Instagram photo with a caption that includes the hashtag #hugyourdog. For a complete list of all the ways "hugs" will be tracked online, visit the Beneful Facebook page. A Hug-o-Meter on the page will track the total number of "hugs" received throughout the day.

Savings coupons for new Beneful® Baked Delights™ dog snacks will be made available to the first 12,000 people to post a "hug" photo, Facebook status update, or tweet using the Beneful Hug Your Dog Day Facebook application on April 10. An additional batch of 63,000 coupons will be made available once 25,000 cumulative 'hugs' from around the Web, including special location check-ins and tagged Instagram photos, has been met. More information is available at Facebook.com/Beneful.

"We know how much happiness dog owners get from hugging their four-legged best friends and we wanted to celebrate this with our first-ever virtual Hug Fest," said Katy Laciny, Beneful Baked Delights brand manager. "Our new dog snack line offers dog owners a new way to 'hug' their dogs with a special, everyday snacking experience."

Beneful Baked Delights are crafted with high quality ingredients and oven-baked with love. They come in four fun, mouth-watering varieties including Hugs, Quacks, Stars and Snackers. 

Additional Survey Findings

• The majority (56 percent) of U.S. dog owners surveyed on behalf of Beneful Baked Delights say that hugging their dogs makes them smile and 55 percent say it makes them feel happier. Almost 40 percent of the dog owners surveyed say hugging their dog makes them forget about the stress in their life.
• One-in-ten female dog owners surveyed say she hugs her dog more than her spouse or significant other.
• More than 60 percent of U.S. dog owners surveyed say that when they hug their dog, he/she returns their affection.

About Beneful Baked Delights Dog Snacks

Beneful Baked Delights builds on the baking experience, including combining enticing textures with fun flavor combinations dogs love, to create a special snack experience dog owners can share with their best buddies every day.  Beneful® Baked Delights™ launched nationally in January 2012 in grocery, mass, club, and pet specialty retailers.  The new products have a suggested retail price of $3.99.

*About the Beneful Baked Delights Survey

The Beneful Baked Delights survey presents the findings of an online Omnibus survey conducted March 5, 2012 among a sample of 482 U.S. adult dog owner populations (18+ years of age - male and female).

SOURCE Beneful Baked Delights