NATIONAL DISASTER SEARCH DOG FOUNDATION CHOOSES
NUTRO PRODUCTS AS EXCLUSIVE PET FOOD SPONSOR
Strategic alliance will increase the nation’s FEMA-certified canine disaster search teams
CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., May 13, 2008— Nutro Products, Inc., a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Mars, Inc. and a leading manufacturer of premium dog and cat food, was chosen as
the exclusive pet food sponsor of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF), a non-
profit organization based in Ojai, Calif. SDF produces canine disaster search teams trained to
find victims buried alive in the wreckage of disasters, including 19 percent of the national teams
certified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA), and 69 percent of California’s certified teams.
“When SDF approached us as a potential partner, there was no question that we wanted
to support its efforts to save human lives using dogs that have themselves been rescued,” said
Nutro Products General Manager Dave Horton. “In the wake of September 11 and Hurricane
Katrina, there’s a critical need to be able to find victims trapped under debris and rubble after
disaster strikes. When every minute counts, you simply cannot match the speed and
effectiveness of using a highly-trained search dog.”
To find suitable candidates, SDF rescues dogs from animal shelters and breed rescue
groups that show potential as a disaster search dog. After a year of rigorous training, successful
graduates are paired with firefighters for deployment to such catastrophic events as tornados,
floods, mudslides, earthquakes, train derailments, building collapses and terrorist attacks. SDF
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National Disaster Search Dog Foundation Chooses Nutro Products – 2/2/2
was responsible for 13 of the disaster search teams at Ground Zero and 26 that were dispatched
to sites devastated by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
“After my deployment to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing, where only one survivor
was found by a dog