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Blue Buffalo And PETCO Join Together To Fight Pet Cancer During Pet Cancer Awareness Month
Wilton, CT., May 1, 2010 – The Blue Buffalo Pet Food Company and PETCO are partnering together to raise money to help fight pet cancer during Pet Cancer Awareness (PCA) Month in May.
Throughout the month, pet parents can make donations to the cause by “rounding up” their in-store PETCO purchases to the next dollar at the register, or by making a donation in an amount of their choice. Additionally, Blue Buffalo will donate up to $1 for every bag of BLUE dog or cat food purchased during May. The goal this year is to raise $1,000,000 during Pet Cancer Awareness Month.
What’s more, Saturday, May 8th is designated as Pet Cancer Awareness Day at PETCO. From 10 AM-2PM, local veterinarians will be available to talk with pet parents about what they can do to help prevent cancer in their own pets.
For the past six years, The Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research (B.B.F.C.R.) has sponsored a Pet Cancer Awareness Month to help educate pet parents about the disease as well as raise money to find a cure. The money is used to the support the research efforts of universities and clinics in the U.S. whose mission is to find a cure for the leading disease-related cause of death among dogs and cats.
Funds raised during Pet Cancer Awareness month are distributed by The Blue Buffalo Foundation For Cancer Research which has made over $300,000 in grants to support the pet cancer research efforts of several universities, including Ohio State University, University of Tennessee, MIT, North Carolina State University, Cornell University, Colorado State University, Oregon State University, University of Wisconsin, University of Illinois and University of Minnesota.
The Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research is also sponsoring a Pet Cancer Awareness tour in May in memory of Gibson, the World’s Tallest Dog, who lost his battle with osteosarcoma last year. The tour will stop at PETCO stores across the country to provide pet parents with important information about pet cancer, and will enhance the educational and fundraising activities that the foundation will carry out during PCA Month.
The tour will feature pet cancer awareness advocate Sandy Hall, and her dog Brewster, who she has dubbed the “World’s Tallest Puppy”. Hall was the proud parent of Gibson, the World’s Tallest Dog, who lost his battle with osteosarcoma last year. “Losing Gibson to cancer was the hardest thing I have ever experienced,” said Hall. “I could not believe the outpouring of letters, phone calls, and emails I received from others who have suffered along with their pets from this terrible disease.” Hall has vowed to share her experiences with Gibson to raise awareness of pet cancer and help generate funds for research to find a cure. Guests will have the opportunity to meet Hall and Brewster at each tour stop, obtain pet cancer literature, and view in-store demonstrations pertaining to the disease.
The Blue Buffalo Foundation For Cancer Research was established in 2003 by The Blue Buffalo Company, a manufacturer of healthy and holistic dog and cat foods under the BLUE™ and BLUE Spa Select™ brand names. Finding a cure for pet cancer is one of the top priorities for The Blue Buffalo Company because its founders have had some personal experience with this disease. “Our dog Blue, a large breed Airedale and a great pal, had three bouts with cancer,” said Bill Bishop, Blue Buffalo’s CEO. “After Blue was diagnosed, we wanted to find out all we could about pet cancer, and were amazed to learn that it is the leading disease-related cause of death for both dogs and cats. So one of the first things we did after starting our pet food company was to establish a foundation to raise money for pet cancer research, and raise awareness among pet parents of the early warning signs of this disease.”
After forming the foundation, the company developed the Pet Cancer Awareness month concept as a vehicle by which to conduct its annual education and fund-raising efforts.
“When we started the PCA program, we were only in 230 regional stores and didn’t raise much money”, said David Petrie, President of the Blue Buffalo Foundation for Cancer Research. “Now that the BLUE brand has national distribution in over 3,000 pet stores, we have been able to raise over $300,000 without too much trouble. And because there are no administration fees, one hundred percent of the funds raised go towards helping the cause.”
You can learn more about The Blue Buffalo Foundation For Cancer Research and their Pet Cancer Awareness program by visiting www.petcancerawareness.com.
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