Everything is Better With Pets
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BetterWithPets #CollectiveBias
Last week I had the great opportunity to attend the annual Purina Better With Pets Summit in NYC, and learned even more about this company that I already loved. We heard from some really great speakers, had a few awesome panels with experts in various fields, and – of course – met plenty of wonderful people and pets! I’m spilling the beans on a lot of what we learned there, and how Everything is Better With Pets!
If you recall, I had the privilege of going to the Nestlé Purina headquarters in St. Louis in June, where I learned quite a bit about the company and it’s procedures. Now, before that I was already a fan of the Purina brand and that’s what we feed our two dogs. Afterwards, I was even more impressed and firm in knowing that I was making the best choice for our pets!
While we learned a lot of information in this fun-filled day, one of the things that stood out the most to me is how Purina calls in experts in various fields from OUTSIDE of their company to ensure they’re making the best, most helpful and safe advancements for the pets in our lives. One of the panel experts – I feel awful but I can’t recall if it was John Bear or Shaun Kennedy – said that you want to look at a COMPANY and their policies and procedures when deciding if working together is best, not the national regulations. It’s great that there ARE national policies in place to ensure safety, but it’s really the company who will (or should) check constantly to make certain they’re doing the absolute best.
One thing about both Purina events that I’ve attended, every time someone is introduced you hear about their pets. Often, about their human families as well, but not one person didn’t have a really close, personal bond with the animals in their life. They’re TRUE animal-lovers who believe that life is definitely better with pets and LIVE that way!
We also heard several heart-warming stories of these families – both 2-legged and 4-legged family members – throughout the day. One that really pulled at my heartstrings was from Roben Harris. Her and her husband, Luke, have 6 children – 3 biological and 3 adopted through foster. You can tell why it really hit home, since we’re going through the adoption stuff right now, right? One of their daughters was born with Spina Bifida, and in her 11 (and a HALF) years has undergone 28 surgeries. She’s a spunky girl full of comedy and joy – and one of her best friends is their Labradoodle named Chocolate Chip Chewbacca Harris!
She spoke about how pets make a miraculous difference in the healing of children in hospitals. It can lift their spirits, giving them hope and strength to recover better. As I learned in June, and in more detail at the Summit, Purina is helping hospitals in St. Louis make it easier for pets to visit with their hospitalized humans. Years ago, it would have been nearly impossible – but I learned that the medical field is now acknowledging more and more the healing affects pets can have.
Okay, so I found this completely hilarious and fun – but check this out….
Yup, the entire Purina team wore red sneakers for the event! That’s a fashion statement I could get behind 🙂
Since they’re always trying to find ways to progress as more information and studies are done about our pets, Purina is now looking at early nutrition for cats to tackle the heart disease issue that affects 1 in 10 cats.
Along with their hospital and community work, Purina allowed us to do a large service project for URI in NYC – they provide services to those escaping domestic abuse and are making headway to provide more options to those trying to escape WITH their pets. Because who wants to leave their furry family member behind? I’m so proud of the work their doing, and was glad to help put together little care packages for those starting their life over with their pets.
While I love so many of the advancements that Purina is making, the one I’m most excited about is their Bright Minds brand, which we learned more about at the Summit….
My friend Lori, from A Day in Motherhood, has been telling me how incredible Purina’s brand Bright Minds for dogs is. It’s designed to help older dogs age 7 and up, fighting the affects of aging so they can have more active, happy and joyful lives even as they get older. She uses it on her dog and the difference from before she started it was like night and day! Another family that spoke to us during the conference had a similar story for their eldest dog, who now has energy to even initiate playtime with their younger pup! For you cat-lovers, get ready because Purina has now developed a Bright Minds that works for CATS!!! It’s coming soon, so be sure to check that out if you have a cat 7 years or older.
I’m thrilled for this, because right now my dogs are playful and active and healthy – but I know as they age that could change. I’m so glad to know there’s a product that will keep them this way longer, as they’re such an important part of our family! They help our lives be happier, crazier, more playful and loving, and BIGGER.
Share how YOUR pets allow you to live bigger lives on social media and use #LetsLiveBig
You can follow and tag Purina on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with @Purina
This content may contain affiliate links. We earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. We may earn money, free services or complementary products from the companies mentioned in this post. All opinions are ours alone…