Purina Dog Chow, a brand from Nestlé Purina PetCare, has named five finalists in its inaugural Visible Impact Awards recognizing the impact of PTSD service dogs on the daily lives of veterans. The brand has teamed up with actor and longtime military supporter Wilmer Valderrama on the awards, which are part of Dog Chow’s fifth annual Service Dog Salute program.
From now through Oct. 17, dog lovers can vote for their favorite finalist online at DogChow.com/service. For every vote, Dog Chow will donate $5 to the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans, up to $75,000, to help train more PTSD service dogs at no cost to veterans.
The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize and $25,000 for the organization that trained the service dog. This year’s finalists include:
• Trigger /Northwest Battle Buddies, which helps U.S. Navy Veteran Rebekah by sensing the beginning of a panic attack or when Rebekah is having difficulties "getting back to reality."
• Raphael/Hero's Puppy For Life, which helps U.S. Air Force Veteran Bernard by performing a "standing hug" – a unique version of compression therapy – to quell anxiety or panic attacks.
• Bjorn/Northwest Battle Buddies, which helps U.S. Army Veteran Derek by breaking him away from the spiral of negative thoughts through the art of interruption by demanding to be pet.
• Ivy/Operation Freedom Paws, which helps U.S. Army Veteran Todd by smelling a change in Todd's body chemistry when the veteran is in a crowded social situation and starts to be hypervigilant, angry or anxious.
• Liberty/Paws for Purple Hearts, which helps U.S. Army Veteran Carlos by applying a wide variety of skills to help mitigate Carlos's PTSD symptoms, such as performing deep pressure therapy by laying the dogs' front legs and head down on Carlos's lap when the veteran experiences anxiety.
Purina manufactures Dog Chow and other popular pet care products including Purina ONE, Pro Plan, Fancy Feast and Tidy Cats.