Ultimate Urban Pop-Up Dog Park Debuts in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas, March 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's leading pet brands have teamed up to bring the urban dog park of the future to Austin this weekend, in an effort to make the city even better for pets. On March 11 and 12, the pop-up park, affectionately known as #Dogstin, is available for passers-by to experience as part of Mars Petcare's  BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative.

"We know that pets make life better, and can make communities safer and stronger," said Jam Stewart, Mars Petcare. "And there's no better place than Austin, another pet-friendly city, to debut our urban pop-up park, where we're hoping to gain insights and feedback that we can apply to our BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative."

The BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative, which kicked off this year in Mars Petcare's hometown of Nashville, aims to create enough places for every dog and cat to live, visit and play by supporting shelters, homes, businesses and parks. Through the #Dogstin park design, Mars Petcare is testing ways for cities to offer more green spaces for pets in urban areas – even if it's just a place to "go." Research, including real-time feedback paired with more formal surveys and studies, continues to be a key way that Mars Petcare and its partners are developing and evolving this program.

Visitors to #Dogstin can enjoy samples of Mars Petcare products, talk with experts from Mars Petcare and its brands, and enjoy some relaxation time with local shelter dogs. Several of Mars Petcare's brands are also committed to this cause and are joining together at #Dogstin this year.

• WISDOM PANEL™, sharing information and insights about genetics through its doggie DNA kits,
• WHISTLE™, featuring the latest model of the smart technology pet activity and location tracker on site – including tracking activity for the shelter dogs on site at #Dogstin.
• PEDIGREE® DENTASTIX™ and TEMPTATIONS™ Treats for dogs and cats

"Our goal at Whistle is to make pet care smarter and simpler for pet owners, which includes giving back to inspiring pet-friendly cities like Austin," said Ben Jacobs, CEO and Co-founder of Whistle. "By teaming up with our partners in Mars Petcare to bring the #Dogstin pop-up park to life this year, we can bring awareness to important advances in petcare while celebrating a city that has helped blaze a trail for more pet-friendly communities everywhere."

In addition to showcasing its innovative dog park model, the company is also giving back to local animal shelters in need, partnering with Austin Pets Alive, to provide shelter dogs with a space to play at #Dogstin, and for every 10 minutes a dog is walked,  Mars Petcare and its brands will donate $100 to local Austin shelters. Supporting shelters is another key component of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program, stemming from Mars Petcare's long-standing commitment to supporting animals in need. Every year, Mars Associates volunteer their time to renovate pet shelters, build and beautify dog parks and trails, teach kids how to be responsible pet owners, and distribute human and pet food at local food pantries.

For more information about the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ initiative and progress toward the model of a pet-friendly city, visit http://bettercitiesforpets.tumblr.com/.

About Mars Petcare US
Mars Petcare is the world's leading pet nutrition and health care business. A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS® is the vision statement held by Mars Petcare as we believe that pets make our lives better and that pet ownership brings joy and benefits which should be accessible to everyone. In the United States, Mars Petcare food brands include PEDIGREE®, IAMS™, ROYAL CANIN™, GREENIES™, CESAR®, NUTRO™ and SHEBA®. Veterinary practices include BANFIELD™ and BLUE PEARL™. Specialty brands include WISDOM PANEL™ Canine DNA Tests and WHISTLE™ GPS Pet Tracker. The company's Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition is a leading scientific authority on pet nutrition and wellbeing. Mars Petcare has more than 37,000 Associates worldwide. For more information about Mars Petcare's vision—A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS™— visit https://www.facebook.com/ABetterWorldforPets.

®/™ Trademarks © Mars, Incorporated 2017.

SOURCE Mars Petcare US