Pounds for Hounds Campaign in the United Kingdom Raised £20,000 to Improve Lives of Wartime Veterans and Dogs

Zoetis raised £20,000 for the nonprofit organization Hounds for Heroes with its ‘Pounds for Hounds’ fundraising campaign.  Through partnerships with veterinary practices throughout the United Kingdom, Zoetis donated 25 pence for every dog that was vaccinated with its Kennel Cough vaccine between 11 November 2012 and 11 November 2013. The money raised is enough for the charity to purchase and provide lifetime funding for a puppy that will be trained to become an assistance dog for a wartime veteran. Prior to this fundraising campaign, Zoetis donated £20,000 to purchase and train one of the charity’s newest canine recruits, a puppy named Vanguard.

Hounds for Heroes, established in 2010 by Gulf War Veteran Allen Parton, provides specially trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK armed forces and civilian emergency services.  

Allen spent five years in a hospital after a tragic wartime head injury wiped out his memories, leaving him unable to walk, speak or write. When Allen was partnered with an assistance dog named Endal, it changed his life and brought his independence back.  Endal could respond to over 100 commands as well as problem solve, and once saved Allen’s life by putting him in the recovery position and going for help.

“Zoetis understands the importance and impact of the human-animal bond, and we wanted to help raise awareness and funding for the Hounds for Heroes initiative,” said Scott Wheway, Assistant Product Manager at Zoetis. “Many veterinary practices not only supported our campaign, but ran their own fund-raising initiatives as well to help raise awareness of kennel cough. This resulted in our fundraising target of £20,000 being achieved. We’d like to thank our veterinary customers and every pet owner who had their dog vaccinated for Kennel Cough.”

 “Pounds for Hounds makes it possible for Zoetis to join with veterinarians and dog owners to support the Hounds for Heroes organization, which plays such an important role in enhancing the quality of life of men and women who have sustained wartime injuries,” added Scott. “Because of the Pounds for Hounds campaign, we have also seen a significant increase in Kennel Cough awareness among veterinarians and dog owners in the UK, which has resulted in over  30,000 dogs being vaccinated for Kennel Cough.* This has truly been a win-win situation.” 

To learn more about Pounds for Hounds, click here. For further information about Hounds for Heroes, visit www.houndsforheroes.com.  If you live in the UK and are interested in having your dog vaccinated for Kennel Cough, contact your local veterinary practice.

*As of November 2013