Growing up with pets, I've been an animal lover for as long as I can remember. I even lived on a farm at one point as a child - a love for animals runs deep in my blood! As an adult, my home is regularly filled with the pitter-patter of my four legged babies of the canine and feline varieties. We've welcomed so many fur babies into the family over the years, and it's true what Purina says: Life is BETTER WITH PETS.
This love for animals is something I've passed down to my daughter Angeline and together we have even started fostering pets, who somehow manage to become family members. So, of course, I was excited to attend the day long Purina Better With Pets Summit at the Brooklyn Expo Center in New York on November 3rd. The summit, hosted by Emmy-nominated comedian and writer, Josh Gondelman, was all about showcasing how the relationship between pets and people enhances overall emotional wellness - for both pets and people.
In their efforts to showcase this relationship the Better with Pets Summit showcased information with five educational zones (featuring adorable four legged friends!) and a team of expert panelist that among others, was compromised of Purina senior research nutritionist Arleigh Reynolds, who has researched the dog and human bond for many years in Alaska and supports of The Frank Attla Youth Program; and author and reality television personality Carole Radziwill, who shared how pet ownership has shaped her life experiences.
The first panel at the Better With Pets Summit examined how Millennials are changing the relationship between pet owners and cats. Purina revealed results at the summit from a recent survey that showed that nearly half of the 1,000 millennials surveyed own a cat and that 88 percent of cat owners consider themselves similar to their pets. The second panel provided an in-depth look at pets’ environments and the impact it may have on their stress levels, and the third panel focused on the benefits of raising pets and kids together and how it brings unique benefits that extend beyond a typical human-animal bond.
The ten panelists included Heather Lewis, an animal arts architect who is paving the way for pet wellness through pet-centric design and architecture; Jayne Vitale, a child development expert and director of the Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum, a social and emotional learning (SEL) program designed to teach empathy as a skill to adolescents; Christina Ha, the founder of Meow Parlour, the first permanent cat cafe in New York City; and Dr. Tony Buffington, a cat stress expert who has spent the majority of his career examining stress in pets and the impact it can have on health.
There were also five educational zones featuring interactive exhibits where I could engage with the pets and even connect with Purina experts. In addition to educational touchscreen displays, there was a room showcasing healthy environments for cats...
A play lab for agility dogs with wearable technology that monitored their activity as they played...
And an area where attendees can see how nutrition impacts cognition and emotional wellness in pets...
Purina also announced at the summit that it will donate $50,000 to The Frank Attla Youth Program, which was developed to help at-risk youth in rural Alaska gain confidence and self-esteem by adding dogs into the school curriculum and giving them an opportunity to create a unique bond with dogs, and teaching students how to care for them. The donation is part of Purina’s broader support of more than 900 pet welfare organizations each year. For more information about the Better With Pets Summit, visit www.purina.com/better-with-pets/summit#/hero.
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