Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance® Join Forces to Gift $50,000 Veteran's Day Donation to Patriot PAWS

Largest Pet Retail Franchise and Premium Pet Food Maker Help Provide Service Dogs to Deserving Veterans

PROSPER, Texas, Nov. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pet Supplies Plus, the largest and most trusted pet retail franchise, has once again joined forces with Natural Balance^® to raise awareness of the profound impact service dogs have on America's servicemen and women. Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance continue their national partnership this year with a donation of $50,000 to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs, a non-profit that trains and provides service dogs for disabled Veterans, at no cost. The check presentation was hosted at the Prosper, Texas Pet Supplies Plus on Thursday, Nov. 9.

In honor of Veterans Day, every Pet Supplies Plus purchase of Natural Balance products throughout November will support the $50,000 donation to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs. With this donation, Patriot PAWS will provide service dogs free of charge to disabled American Veterans to help restore and maintain their physical and emotional independence.

"The work Patriot PAWS does has an enormous impact, and we take great pride in this annual collaboration with Natural Balance to help support their cause," said Chris Rowland, CEO of Pet Supplies Plus. "Together, we are dedicated to ensuring that veterans can be seamlessly paired with service dogs, without any financial burden."

The check presentation was held at the Pet Supplies Plus of Prosper, Texas located at 4580 W University Dr Suite 10, on Thursday, November 9. Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance presented the check together to Patriot PAWS joined by Development Coordinators, Marissa Sanchez and Sarah Mathers, Veteran Coordinator, April Allison, and Veteran, Brian Reece with Patriot PAWS Service Dog, Maverick.

"Our friends at Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance are truly helping us to fulfill our mission," said Lori Stevens, Founder & Executive Director of Patriot PAWS Service Dogs. "We have, firsthand, seen the difference our service dogs make in the lives of our Veterans and are immensely grateful for their continued years of friendship and support."

Pet Supplies Plus and Natural Balance have been dedicated to this annual partnership for the past five years and are proud to support Patriot PAWS' work of training and placing service dogs with disabled Veterans, and others, who suffer from Mobile Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injuries and/or Post-Traumatic Stress. Their mission allows for Veterans to continue to be positively impacted by service dogs without the costs of training, which is over $35,000 per dog. With the help of donors, volunteers, and training programs, Patriot PAWS is able to eliminate the entire cost for Veterans. Since inception, Patriot PAWS has placed over 400 dogs from their program.

"Natural Balance is incredibly proud to once again partner with Pet Supplies Plus to support Patriot PAWS," said Darcy Hagan, Senior Vice President of Independent Sales of Natural Balance. "Being able to help provide a trained service dog to a Veteran in need could not be more rewarding. Thank you to Patriot PAWS for their great work."

Pet Supplies Plus offers a wide array of natural pet foods and a variety of made-in-the-USA pet consumables, including food, treats, rawhide and chews. Set in welcoming neighborhood environments, Pet Supplies Plus team members get to know their neighbors and pets by name at every store. Full-service grooming, self-serve pet wash stations and fresh bakery treats are also available in-store at many locations. Neighbors can now fill prescriptions online and receive home delivery for quality medications and specialty diets. Whether shopping in-store or online, choosing local is easy. For more information, visit www.petsuppliesplus.com.

About Pet Supplies Plus
Your neighborhood Pet Supplies Plus has everything you need for your furry, scaly and feathery friends. Its shelves are stocked with the right products, including a wide selection of natural and made in the USA products. Easily find all their favorites at prices you love, whether you shop in store or online using free curbside pickup, same-day delivery or Autoship. To help keep your pets happy and healthy, pet prescriptions can be filled online and delivered directly to your door. As the nation's largest independent pet store with over 700 locations in 42 states and counting, Pet Supplies Plus makes shopping local simple. For more information visit www.petsuppliesplus.com.

About Natural Balance^®
Founded in 1989, Natural Balance^® Pet Foods, Inc. is a premium pet specialty brand with a complete offering of pet foods for both dogs and cats. The Natural Balance product line comprises over 100 dog and cat food and treat varieties, including Limited Ingredient, Original ULTRA^®, and REWARDS. Natural Balance delivers quality, safety-tested food in every bag. Their Feed with Confidence Program™ provides comprehensive, on-demand safety testing data to help eliminate wonder or worry. Their team of Registered Veterinary Technicians is available via online chat and phone to answer questions and ease concerns. Visit www.naturalbalanceinc.com for more information.

About Patriot PAWS Service Dogs
Founded in 2006 by Lori Stevens, Patriot PAWS Service Dogs is a Rockwall, TX based national non-profit that trains and provide Service Dogs of the highest quality at no cost to disabled American Veterans, and others, who suffer from Mobile Disabilities, Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI's.) The organization was officially deemed a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2006, less than one year after Stevens pursued a calling on her heart to help Veterans in need. Patriot PAWS is honored to be an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) – the only Service Dog accrediting organization within the world. Patriot PAWS currently trains their dogs at their Main Facility, located in Rockwall Texas; Patriot PAWS of Aggieland program in College Station; with Dallas-Fort Worth Volunteer Puppy Raisers; and their partnership with Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where inmate trainers work with program dogs within their prison units. To date, more than 400 dogs have been placed from the program and there are still 80+ Veterans on their wait list to receive a Service Dog.

Media Contact: Emily Eastin, Fishman Public Relations, (847) 945-1300, [email protected]

SOURCE Pet Supplies Plus