Purina Pro Plan®, the official performance dog food of Ducks Unlimited (DU), is back as presenting sponsor of the third annual Ducks Unlimited Expo (DUX), May 5-7 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. This is the third consecutive year the premium pet food brand has served as presenting sponsor of the event celebrating all things outdoors.
This year, DUX also welcomes the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge, the premier canine performance sport event, to the weekend of activities. Some of the nation's best canine athletes will travel from across the country to compete in Fort Worth during the Central Regional of the Incredible Dog Challenge, with the chance to advance to the National Finals hosted this fall at Purina Farms outside St. Louis.
"Support from great partners like Purina is one of the main reasons DU has achieved our mission-driven, conservation-focused goals,” said DU Director of National Events Dana Barton. "Purina Pro Plan has been a proud partner and official performance dog food of DU since 2015 and we are excited that the beloved brand is once again the presenting sponsor of the DUX event, bringing with them the Incredible Dog Challenge. We think attendees will love the added excitement the competition will bring to DUX.”
As the Presenting Sponsor, Purina will bring a host of attractions to the Dog Village, an area of the expo dedicated to all things dogs, including the addition of the Central Regional competition of the 26th annual Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge.
"Attendees can expect to see world-class retrievers and trainers conduct sporting dog demonstrations and learn tips and new skills to enhance their sporting dog's performance in the field," said Purina Sporting Dogs Director Karl Gunzer. "We're also excited to add the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge to DUX this year. The competition brings together the country's best canine athletes and is amazing to witness live and in person."
The Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge is the premier family-friendly canine sporting event which features dogs competing in several events like high-flying disc routines, head-to-head weave pole racing, dog agility courses, and the crowd favorite – dog diving – where dogs take a running leap off a 40-foot dock into a more than 20,000-gallon pool of water.
Several dog breeds are represented in the Incredible Dog Challenge, often including Whippets, Border Collies, Belgian Malinois, Jack Russell Terriers, German Shorthaired Pointers, Mixed Breeds, Poodles, Shelties, Golden Retrievers and more. To learn more about the competition and where to watch, visit IncredibleDogChallenge.com.
In addition to the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge with dog training demos and Purina giveaways in the Dog Village, the three-day, family-friendly DUX event will feature hands-on consumer shows highlighting all things outdoors. Attendees will be able to visit several villages where they can see, try and buy the latest outdoor products and talk with industry experts.
Single-day tickets are available for $10, and multiday tickets are $25. Kids 12 and under may attend for free. For more information on the event, visit www.duckexpo.com and be sure to Follow DU's Twitter feed – @DUConserve– to get the most up-to-date news from Ducks Unlimited.
About Ducks Unlimited
Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 15 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org.
About Purina Pro Plan
Purina Pro Plan is a leader in the advanced nutrition category, with more than 70 formulas in dry and wet pet food to help meet a variety of needs. Its science is backed by 500 Purina scientists globally, including nutritionists, veterinarians and behaviorists, who continuously rethink what nutrition can do. It is also the food of choice for 9 of the last 10 AKC Retriever Champions*. For more information, visit www.proplan.com or follow @ProPlan on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. The brand is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare, which promotes responsible pet care, community involvement, and the positive bond between people and their pets. A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health, and wellness.
*The handler or owners of these champions may have received Purina Pro Plan dog food as Purina ambassadors.
Media Contact:
Emily Austin
601-206-5438
eaustin@ducks.org
@DUConserve