Eukanuba and Katie Couric Media Team Up in Celebration of Canine Companions' 50th Year Anniversary

As Canine Companions celebrates its milestone anniversary in 2025, long-time partner Eukanuba and Katie Couric share how task-trained service dogs change lives in extraordinary settings.

ST. CHARLES, Mo., Jan. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EUKANUBA™, a leader in science-based premium performance nutrition and part of the Mars, Incorporated family of brands, premiered a new installment of the Mars Inc. Unleashed with Katie Couric series, highlighting long-time partner Canine Companions^®. Ahead of Canine Companions' landmark 50th anniversary in July, the segment features David Rozelle, a retired Army Colonel who became the first military amputee to return to combat, and his journey of healing with his Canine Companions service dog.

The feature follows Colonel Rozelle and Service Dog Kylynn from their home in South Carolina to the University of Delaware where Col. Rozelle reunites with Patricia Banks, the woman who raised Kylynn as a puppy in the most unexpected of places.

"Each service dog alters the story of someone's life in ways that are beyond comprehension to many, and we are honored to play a part in providing Eukanuba™ science-based premium performance nutrition to create more independence for each recipient," said Maribel Psara, Eukanuba brand leader. "The story of Colonel Rozelle and Kylynn is a testament to our ongoing partnership with Canine Companions and the life-changing work being done each day."

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 64 million people in the United States live with a disability, including three million children.¹ Canine Companions is the originator of the concept of service dogs and has provided more dogs to people with disabilities than any other organization in the United States. For 50 years, they have matched service dogs with children, adults and veterans with disabilities at no cost to the recipient. Canine Companions service dogs are expertly trained to work with people with more than 65 different types of disabilities including physical disabilities, deaf or hard of hearing, cognitive disabilities and military-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"For over 30 years, we've had the pleasure of having Eukanuba as a partner in independence," says Jeanine Konopelski, chief marketing officer at Canine Companions. "The connection with Eukanuba reaches all aspects of our programs, from the health of our working dogs and the awareness that comes from a longstanding partnership with an expert in the canine nutrition field. We are immensely grateful for this foundational partnership and look forward to its continuation for years to come."

Since 1991, Canine Companions has exclusively trusted Eukanuba science-based premium performance nutrition to support all stages of development of the dogs in their program. From gestational support in utero, through puppy growth, development and training, and as expertly trained adult service dogs, Eukanuba nutrition continues to support the unique physical and mental performance of these service dogs that are critical to their successful daily performance.

To watch the story, visit https://katiecouric.com/video/video/eukanuba-veteran-service-dog/ or www.eukanuba.com/us/canine-companions to learn more.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) [Internet]. Available from: http://dhds.cdc.gov

About Eukanuba
With over 50 years of research, Eukanuba offers a complete food lineup, and delivers exceptional, customized nutrition. Eukanuba's products cater to all types of dogs and are categorized according to life-stage, size and health-and-performance requirements. For more information visit www.eukanuba.com.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN^®, PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, CESAR^®, DOVE^®, EXTRA^®, M&M's^®, SNICKERS^® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH^® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.

About Canine Companions
National nonprofit Canine Companions is celebrating 50 Years of Independence. In 1975, a door towards greater independence was opened for people with disabilities — and it all started with a dog. Canine Companions invented the concept of the modern service dog to assist people with physical disabilities, empowering people with disabilities to live with greater independence. As the first and largest provider of service dogs, Canine Companions serves adults, children and veterans with disabilities and professionals working in health care, law enforcement, and educational settings. Since our founding in 1975, we have provided these services at no cost to the recipient. Canine Companions is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) and has six locations across the country serving all 50 states. Learn more at www.canine.org or call 1-800-572-BARK (2275).

SOURCE Eukanuba