UK Charity Wag & Company Win Purina’s BetterWithPets Prize
- Wag & Company from the UK has been awarded a grant of over £65,000, helping support their mission to improve lives of those in vulnerable situations.
- Purina’s BetterWithPets Prize recognises the work of organisations and social entrepreneurs who help improve the health and wellbeing of people in vulnerable situations through harnessing the pet-human bond.
- The BetterWithPets Prize contributes to Purina’s commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of 1,000,000 people in vulnerable situations by 2030
The winners support those in vulnerable situations, including providing therapeutic dog visits to elderly people in socially isolated areas, animal assisted interventions for war-affected populations, and assistance dogs for diabetic children.
The three organisations awarded this year’s BetterWithPets Prize were selected by a group of judges from a competitive pool of almost 150 inspiring applications from 15 countries.
The winners of the Purina BetterWithPets Prize 2025 are:
Wag & Company North East Friendship Dogs: Wag is the only visiting dog charity befriending elderly people in their own homes as well as bringing comfort and pleasure to residents and patients in care and medical establishments right across the North East of England. Founded in 2016, Wag has made over 200,000 visits to date, with a mission to end loneliness for elderly dog lovers so that no one in the region misses out on human friendship and the comfort of dogs. Every week across the 13 unitary authorities of the North East and North Yorkshire, the health and wellbeing of thousands of isolated dog lovers is enhanced by Wag volunteers with two and with four legs.
ACADIA: Founded in 2015, is the first and only organisation in France to train assistance dogs for young insulin-dependent diabetics. After a yearlong training programme with licensed dog trainers, dogs are capable of identifying moments of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia thanks to their extraordinary sense of smell. They can then alert their partner so they could take action to restore normal blood sugar levels before it gets too serious. Once trained, these dogs help keep children safe and contribute to improving the living conditions of diabetic children and their families.
100% Life - Dniprov Region: A Ukrainian charity that provides life-saving humanitarian medical services and develops partnerships with local and national dog trainers and certified canine therapists for implementing animal-assisted therapy programmes. Founded in 2005, and with over 115 people involved including full-time staff and volunteers, 100% Life integrates animal-assisted interventions to foster holistic healing and resilience in war-affected populations.
Scaling global impact
The BetterWithPets Prize will support the growth of these companies through strategic grant funding of up to £173,000 (€200,000) over a two-year period to help them to scale their operations.
The winners will also connect with Purina’s wider community of social entrepreneurs who can share knowledge and best practise, with the goal of delivering real social impact. As part of this, Purina will offer tailored training opportunities to upskill in critical impact areas, helping to drive systemic change.
The biennial prize contributes to Purina Europe’s commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of 1,000,000 people in vulnerable situations by 2030 through the power of the pet-human bond. The commitment was launched with the aim of promoting the significant role that pets can play in helping to improve people’s health and ultimately to drive positive social impact at-scale, which Purina is able to do through partner support.
Previous winners of the BetterWithPets Prize have made a significant and lasting impact in supporting those in need. These include Pets As Therapy (PAT) who provide therapeutic pet visits to establishments such as care homes, hospitals, and hospices. Through BetterWithPets Prize, PAT have been able to refine their training and support, enabling them to address growing waiting lists and provide more PAT teams into places of need.
Rafael Lopez, CEO at Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe said: “At Purina, we know how crucial and impactful the relationship between people and their pets is for society. This is exactly what BetterWithPets is all about. This year’s applicants have shown how they can harness the power of the pet-human bond to address and tackle societal issues and deliver real-change to those in need. We thank every participant who entered this year’s competition and look forward to working closely with the winners in supporting people in vulnerable situations across Europe over the next two years.
Diane Morton, Chair at Wag & Company, BetterWithPets Prize winner said: "We’re so grateful and delighted to be selected for the BetterWithPets Prize. It’s a testament to the unique impact of currently 450 Wag volunteers and their special dogs who give their time and kindness to people who really need them, dog lovers experiencing challenging times, at home, in care or hospitals and hospices."
To find out more about Purina’s Better with Pets Prize winners, click here.
Purina Editorial Team
