Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food Announces Dare Us Back Contest Winners

ST. LOUIS, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- After introducing its better tasting than ever dog food and daring dog owners to try it, Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food asked consumers to dare them back. Dog owners from across the country responded with thousands of dares and today, Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food announced the three Grand Prize winning dares, each benefitting a worthy charity.

"Dog lovers from across the country responded in a huge way," said Heather Gettys, Purina® Dog Chow® Senior Brand Manager. "We were inundated with amazing, creative dares and couldn't be more pleased to complete the winning dares over the coming months, each helping great causes."  

The Grand Prize winners and their dares include:

• Susan McClamrock of Concord, N.C., after losing her 22-year-old son during his deployment to Iraq, dared Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food to make a donation to Carolina Patriot Rovers, which will help fund the training of several service dogs that will be given to veterans suffering from psychological trauma to assist in their recovery. The donation will take place on March 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
• Donnie Genton of Memphis, Ind., dared the brand to organize a playful dog wash with The Band Perry to benefit a local shelter. The charity dog wash will take place in Tampa, Fla., on April 29 with all proceeds benefitting The Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
• Lauren Doak of Houston, Texas, issued the dare to create a dog-friendly family fun walk to benefit The American Legion and BARC (the City of Houston's Animal Shelter and Adoption Center). The charity walk will be held on May 14 in Houston, Texas.

Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food will execute the three dares – one per month in March, April and May – while awarding each of the three Grand Prize Winners $5,000 and a year supply of Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food.  Also, a two year supply of Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food for one dog will be donated to a local animal shelter in each of the Grand Prize Winners' communities.

The Band Perry (Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry) has served as the face of the Purina® Dog Chow® Double Dog Dare campaign. The band is one of the hottest break-through acts in country music. They signed with Republic Nashville in July 2009. Almost immediately, their first single, "Hip To My Heart," became a top-20 hit, followed by, "If I Die Young," which reached No. 1 on the charts and was certified Platinum for sales in excess of 1 million copies. Their latest, "You Lie" has entered the charts and is quickly becoming another fan favorite. Among the award nominations they've racked up in the past year, they were nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song, and won their first American Country Music (ACM) Award for Top New Duo or Group. They will tour with Tim McGraw this spring.

For more information about Purina® Dog Chow® Brand Dog Food, its money-back guarantee offer and the Dare Us Back Contest, visit www.daredogchow.com.

For more information about The Band Perry, visit www.thebandperry.com.

About Nestle Purina Pet Care

Nestle Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestle Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Missouri. Nestle Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A. -- the world's largest food company. For more, visit www.purina.com.

SOURCE Nestle Purina PetCare