After research from Waltham -the world’s leading authority on pet care and nutrition –showed that pets could play a vital role in aiding lonely older adults to remain both physically and socially active, Pedigree wanted to establish an initiative to see this benefit come to life in the real world.

Inspired by their purpose of “feeding the good dogs bring to our lives”, Pedigree came up with the idea of Dog Dates; an initiative with the potential to be rolled out across communities nationwide, where lonely older people would be matched with local dogs, and able to go on short walks alongside their owners.

Dog Dates: an initiative with the potential to be rolled out across communities nationwide, where lonely older people are matched with local dogs to go on walks alongside their owners.

Dog owners like nothing more than to show how great their dog is and with many locals having the time rather than the money to help, a simple walk round a park was a powerful rallying call. With nearly a quarter of pensioners not even going out socially once a month, these walks provided them with some much-needed company and were the starting point for longer relationships, promoting more integrated and less isolated lifestyles.

We needed an idea that would matter to Millennials by getting dogs to tackle an issue that matters to them.

The UK is in the grips of a loneliness epidemic. Almost three-quarters of older people feel lonely, with over half never speaking about how they feel. With an ageing population, more older adults living alone and tightening of public resources, loneliness has become a pressing health issue.

Millennials are affected too. Having moved from home and delaying parenthood until financially viable, they yearn for the bonds of family. They get dogs as surrogate family members which is why they are the biggest pet owning generation. Struggling amongst their own pressures, they do not have the time or expendable income to travel to the parents and grandparents that matter so much to them, leaving them aware but unable to help.

Research exploring human-animal interaction uncovered how dogs aid elderly adults to remain physically and socially active.

For elderly people, dogs are a conduit back into communities, a lifeline against loneliness.

We briefed to put dogs into action to reconnect some of society’s most lonely citizens back to their communities and, in doing so, touch the hearts of young dog owners

The success was immediately evident at our launch event. “This is living”, exclaimed Doreen as she cuddled a dog and enjoyed the company of another person for the first time in days.

100% of attendants were keen to join further Dog Dates. 43% of our pairings spontaneously made plans to meet up again. There was also a huge increase in physically activity with each participant walking an average of 4000+ steps.

Earned media was an essential objective for reaching the ‘unreachable’ Millennials. Dog Dates became a national sensation, gaining coverage from the likes of the BBC and ITV and enabling reach to 12million people.

The credibility and respect levied upon the programme opened the door to potential nationwide partnership conversations with Age UK.

Dog Dates is the story of a brand standing with conviction behind its brand purpose to lead why this category matters. It became a