Civilian dogs everywhere will come to attention on Tuesday, March 13, National K-9 Veterans Day, when Zoetis launches its Dogs Salute Dogs campaign. The new campaign, which is part of the company’s K-9 Courage Program, is designed to give civilian dogs the chance to “paws” and honor their heroes—military and police dogs—with a nationwide digital salute through a custom Facebook profile picture frame. 

The Dogs Salute Dogs campaign allows civilian dogs and their owners a chance to engage with K-9 Courage for the first time. Starting on March 13, using their mobile devices, pet owners can visit the K-9 Courage website to learn how civilian dogs can join the Dogs Salute Dogs campaign. In just a few easy steps, pet owners can open the custom Facebook frame, take a photo of their dog, and post it to Facebook to share with friends and family.

“Americans have a great tradition of posting yellow or red, white and blue ribbons on our cars to show support for our human troops. Now, we want to extend that honor of a salute to our canine heroes,” said J. Michael McFarland, DVM, DABVP, executive director of Zoetis Petcare marketing. “Through K-9 Courage, Zoetis salutes retired police and military dogs every day by helping them lead happy, healthy lives in retirement, and now we’re extending that salute on social media by engaging dogs and pet owners. Our goal is to raise awareness about the important role these service animals play in protecting our nation, and why they are so deserving of our support.”

Launched in March 2015 in partnership with the Sage Foundation for Dogs Who Serve and the National Police Dog Foundation, K-9 Courage, which is endorsed by AAHA, provides healthcare assistance to retired police and military dogs. Since then, Zoetis has expanded the program, partnering with American Humane to support service dogs assisting veterans with posttraumatic stress (PTS) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). This year, Zoetis is sponsoring an entire class of qualified shelter dogs being trained for this critical role through American Humane’s “Shelter to Service” program, which rescues abandoned shelter animals and trains them to become lifesaving service dogs for veterans with PTS and TBI.

Supporting approximately 650 dogs each year, K-9 Courage provides the owner of each dog with a $300 debit card annually that can be applied toward any veterinary expense, ranging from wellness visits and vaccines to prescription medications and treats.

Show your support for America’s canine heroes and join the Dogs Salute Dogs campaign beginning on March 13.

Zoetis is dedicated to supporting its customers and their businesses. Building on more than 60 years of experience in animal health, Zoetis discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets veterinary vaccines and medicines, complemented by diagnostic products, genetic tests, biodevices and a range of services. Zoetis serves veterinarians, livestock producers, and people who raise and care for farm and companion animals.

Photo credit: © labsas