Beneful® Invites America's Dog Owners to Dream Big for Opportunity to Help Inspire a $500,000 Dream Dog Park Renovation in Their Area

LANCASTER, Pa., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- It's time for America's dog owners to unleash their playful sides and dream big! To help inspire more play among dog owners and their four-legged best buddies, Beneful® brand dog food is launching its fourth annual Dream Dog Park Contest that will award a $500,000 renovation of a dog park in the Grand Prize Winner's area.

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Nate Berkus, designer and dog lover, is helping to encourage more play by inviting dog owners across the country to dream up their most fun and creative play destination with their four-legged best buddies. Berkus will use the Grand Prize Winner's idea as inspiration to help design the Beneful brand's fourth Dream Dog Park renovation. Now through September 17, dog owners can enter the contest at BenefulDreamDogPark.com by uploading a photo of them with their dog and a short essay (250 words or less) that answers the question: "If you had $500,000 to create a Dream Dog Park where you and your best buddy can play together, what would you do?"

Berkus loves dogs as much as he loves design. "I'm inspired by the things that surround me every day – people, places and pets," said Berkus. "This contest is a great opportunity for dog owners to think big when it comes to design and find inspiration in their daily surroundings, including their favorite local dog park, as they dream up their ultimate play place with their best buddy."

"Beneful is thrilled to be teaming up with Nate Berkus as we carry out our mission of inspiring more play every day," said Brent Gleckler, Beneful Brand Director. "The popularity of our Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest continues to grow among dog owners across the country because it celebrates the special, tail-wagging fun relationships they share with their four-legged best friends."

In addition to kicking off the 2013 Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest, Berkus and the popular dog food brand are announcing the launch of the first-ever Beneful Play Date Tour that will travel to parks in eight markets across the country to inspire more play. Berkus will attend the first event at Tompkins Square Park in New York City on Thursday, Aug. 8, to celebrate the tour launch and seek inspiration for the fourth Beneful Dream Dog Park renovation he will help design.

Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest 
The Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest is comprised of two rounds. In Round One, dog owners can enter the contest by submitting a photo of them and their dog that shows how life is better when they are together, and an essay (250 words or less) that answers the question: "If you had $500,000 to create a 'Dream Dog Park' where you and your best buddy can play together, what would you do?" In Round Two, up to 20 finalists selected by a judging panel will be asked to create a video entry submission that answers the same question, shows the finalist's typical daily adventure together with his or her dog in their current dog park and explains how their ideas would make it even better.

Approved Round Two entries will be published on the contest website for public voting and judging by the Beneful Dream Team that includes Nate Berkus. Entries in both rounds will be judged using the following criteria: creativity and originality of the ideas for your 'Dream Dog Park' (40%); how well the ideas will make play with your best buddy more fun in the dog park (40%); and feasibility of bringing the idea to life (20%). The Round Two video entry receiving the combined highest score from the public voting (30%) and the Dream Team judging (70%) will be selected as the Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. The winner will receive $10,000 cash and a one year supply of Beneful brand dry dog food. In addition, the Grand Prize Winner's dream idea will help serve as inspiration for a $500,000 Beneful Dream Dog Park renovation of a dog park in his or her area. For more details on how to enter and for official contest rules, visit BenefulDreamDogPark.com.

Come Out & Play! 
This summer, the Beneful brand is also inspiring more play across the U.S. with the launch of its first-ever Play Date Tour. This fun "pop-up" mobile tour, which kicks off in New York City on Thursday, Aug. 8, is visiting parks in eight markets across the country to celebrate the special relationships people share with their dogs. The events, which are free and open to the public, will feature a variety of fun activities inspired by favorite childhood games that dogs and owners can play together. Tour dates and locations can be found on the Beneful Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/benefulplaydate.

Beneful Dream Dog Park Renovation Unveiled 
Berkus was in Lancaster, PA, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, to celebrate the unveiling of the dog food brand's third $500,000 Beneful Dream Dog Park renovation and officially kick-off the 2013 contest. The newly renovated dog park, which Lancaster resident Angela Bauman's 2012 contest winning entry helped inspire, features an array of amusement park-themed elements, including: a 40-foot- long roller coaster bridge; custom-designed splash pads for large and small dogs that feature fun spray nozzles; a deck for relaxing that spans the entire width of the dog park; and a tennis ball tree, among other features. Universal Forest Products donated Latitudes® ultra-low maintenance composite decking for the custom-built deck and dock and Prowood® Professional Grade lumber for many of the wood structures in the dog park, including the roller coaster bridge and pavilion entrance. In honor of Bauman's four-legged playmate Beau, the City of Lancaster renamed the dog park Beau's Dream Dog Park.

A Playful Trio – The Beneful Dream Team 
The latest addition to the Beneful Dream Team, Berkus joins program veterans Jason Cameron, licensed contractor and host of DIY Network's "Desperate Landscapes," and pet expert Arden Moore. The Dream Team will judge the finalists' videos in Round Two of the contest to help select the Grand Prize Winner and each will use his or her expertise to help design the fourth $500,000 Dream Dog Park renovation.

For more information on the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest, visit BenefulDreamDogPark.com. And, to learn more about the Beneful Play Date Tour, visit https://apps.facebook.com/benefulplaydate. You can also follow and participate in Beneful Dream Dog Park conversations on Twitter using the hashtag #DreamDogPark. For updates on Nate Berkus, consumers can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

About Beneful Brand Dog Food 
Manufactured by Nestle Purina PetCare Company, Beneful brand dog food offers a full line of wet and dry formulas that offer a perfect balance of taste and nutrition. Introduced in 2001, Beneful is one of the most successful dog food brands in the Company's history. The North American headquarters for the Nestle Purina PetCare Company is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri, where Ralston Purina Company was founded more than a century ago. Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. One of the leading global players in the pet food industry, Nestle Purina PetCare is part of the Swiss-based Nestle S.A. - the world's largest food company.

SOURCE Beneful