Nature's Variety® Teams Up With Retailers to Host World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social

LINCOLN, Neb., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Nature's Variety, the leader in raw frozen pet food, believes that everyone, including dogs, should celebrate National Ice Cream month.  So Nature's Variety and independent pet food retailers throughout the United States will be hosting fun, cool and tasty dog ice cream socials this July.  July serves as the official "National Ice Cream Month" as designated by former President Ronald Reagan in 1984.  In order to pay homage to one of America's favorite summer treats, Nature's Variety is providing its frozen dessert product for dogs, SweetSpots ®, to nearly 60 different "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social" events taking place over the weekend of July 17 – 18, 2010.

While dogs can have a sweet tooth, human ice cream is not ideal for our canine friends.  It is high in refined sugars, contains high levels of lactose, high in fat and calories, and may contain chocolate or other ingredients that are potentially toxic to dogs.  SweetSpots is much different than human ice cream – it is a frozen dessert made from low lactose dairy ingredients, moderate levels of natural sweeteners (like molasses and honey), and fortified with probiotics for better digestive health. SweetSpots comes in two delicious and nutritious flavors:  Sweet Potato & Molasses and Peanut Butter & Honey.

In addition to raising awareness about the importance of feeding dogs a healthy frozen dessert treat instead of human ice cream, Nature's Variety's "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social" will also be making a local community impact, raising funds for local pet shelters and adoption agencies.  For every cup of SweetSpots consumed at official "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social" events, Nature's Variety will make a donation to a local pet charity in each market.  In New York City, Nature's Variety will be hosting 5 official "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social" events and each event will benefit The Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals.  The Mayor's Alliance is a coalition of more than 160 animal rescue groups and shelters that is working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015.

Nature's Variety teams up with The Bark magazine for "Sweet Licks" contest

In conjunction with Nature's Variety, The Bark, a fun, lifestyle magazine for dog lovers, is hosting the "Sweet Licks" contest to celebrate National Ice Cream Month and Nature's Variety's "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social." The contest encourages dog owners from across the country to submit photos and videos of their prized pooch licking his lips for Nature's Variety's frozen treat, SweetSpots. The contest will run throughout July 2010, designated as National Ice Cream Month and will take place on The Bark's website. Everyone who enters will receive a discount coupon to purchase SweetSpots, while the winner of the "Sweet Licks" contest will win a free one-year supply of Nature's Variety's SweetSpots frozen dessert treats. For more information and to submit contest entries, please visit The Bark magazine at www.thebark.com.

For a schedule of "World's Largest Dog Ice Cream Social" events by market, visit www.naturesvariety.com.    

About Nature's Variety

Nature's Variety specializes in natural, holistic dog and cat food.  The line of premium products was developed by families who have been practicing sustainable agriculture for more than 140 years, raising quality livestock and growing crops in America's heartland.  Nature's Variety offers the purest forms of pet nutrition – including a wide variety of protein choices in every pet food form (raw frozen diets, dry kibble diets, canned diets, and treats).  For more information about Nature's Variety, visit www.naturesvariety.com.

SOURCE Nature's Variety