STLife

Purina
Your Pet, Our Passion
PURINA.COM
Founded in St. Louis 125 years ago, Purina is an international leader
in pet care and a household name in pet food, treats, and litter, with
brands like Dog Chow, Friskies, Pro Plan, Purina ONE, Beggin’ Strips,
Beyond, and Tidy Cats. With deep roots in the city, Purina’s petfriendly
U.S. headquarters attracts top talent, employing more than
2,000 people in St. Louis, many of whom bring their dogs (and cats)
to work with them every day. The company has more than 500 pet
nutritionists, behaviorists, immunologists, and veterinarians on staff
globally who work tirelessly to make breakthrough discoveries and
groundbreaking products that help pets live longer, healthier lives.
Science-based nutrition for pets is at the heart of what Purina
does, but it isn’t all the company is known for. Guided by the belief
that pets make life richer, and driven by its passion, Purina is on a
mission to bring and keep pets and people together, starting in its
own backyard.
PROMOTING PET ADOPTION
Each year, Purina supports pet shelters, rescues, and other nonprofits
throughout the greater St. Louis area by providing funding,
pet food, cat litter, and volunteer support that helps bring pets
and people together. For more than 12 years, Purina has led the St.
Louis Petlover Coalition, made up of more than 50 area nonprofits,
with a mission to improve the lives and increase adoption of dogs
and cats in our community.
From supporting St. Louis’ biggest ‘Slumber Pawty’ at 16 area
shelters, raising awareness and funds for homeless dogs and cats, to
encouraging St. Louisans to ‘Raise a Pint for Pets’ with local brewer
Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, Purina is always seeking ways
to support shelter pets and the people who care for them.
KEEPING PETS AND PEOPLE TOGETHER IN DIFFICULT TIMES
As an organization built on the belief that people and pets are better
together, Purina has turned its commitment to pet welfare into
advocacy for domestic abuse victims with pets through the
Purple Leash Project, which funds pet-friendly renovations
at domestic abuse shelters across the country.
The lack of services and resources for domestic violence
survivors with pets leads many victims—nearly half—to
stay in abusive situations for fear of their pet being injured
or killed should they leave. Currently only 10 percent of
domestic abuse shelters in the United States allow pets.
To ensure pet-friendly services are available to survivors
with pets in St. Louis, Purina has worked with Lydia’s House,
which provides transitional housing to survivors, to convert
four of its apartments into pet-friendly spaces, with plans
for more transformations in 2020.
Purina also has worked with St. Louis Children’s Hospital
to build the first-ever Purina Family Pet Center, enabling
patients to reconnect with their beloved pets during
extended hospital stays. The facility brings together familycentered
care with the healing power of pets to promote
patient wellness. Since completing the project, Purina has
partnered with others, such as Ranken Jordan Pediatric
Bridge Hospital, to bring therapy dogs into hospitals.
ENGAGING PET LOVERS
Purina Farms is the place where pet lovers of all ages go to
play, learn, and compete. This family-friendly attraction
located on more than 300 acres just outside of St. Louis
in Gray Summit, Missouri, offers an opportunity to get up
close and personal with a variety of farm animals as well
as dogs and cats. The Visitor Center, open from Memorial
Day through Labor Day, boasts a variety of fun activities,
including hayloft play areas, interactive, educational exhibits,
tractor-drawn wagon rides, adoptable animals, and exciting
canine performances of flying disc, agility, and diving dogs.
The Purina Event Center at Purina Farms, a state-of-theart
84,000-square-foot indoor facility, is open year-round
to host some of the most prestigious dog and cat shows
in the country, as well as special pet-friendly events open
to the general public.
THROWING THE NATION’S BIGGEST PARTY FOR PETS
For more than 20 years, Purina has sponsored the Purina
Pet Parade, a Guinness World Record–holding event, in
the Soulard neighborhood. Held annually on the Sunday
before Mardi Gras, it’s a showplace for pet pride, attracting
tens of thousands of people and their pets to the party.
The Purina Pet Parade is one of many pet-friendly events
the company supports in St. Louis, including Purina Pooches
in the Ballpark at Busch Stadium and the Great Forest
Park Balloon Race.
Whether you’re in St. Louis to live, work, or play, rest assured
that there are plenty of ways to include your four-legged
friends in your experience, thanks to a little help from the
pet lovers at Purina.
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