PremieR Pet, a Brazilian dog and cat food company, will sponsor a team of shelter dogs, called CãoDulas, that retrieve stray balls at the Brazil Open 2017 tennis tournament. The tournament occurs February 27 to March 5 at the Esporte Clube Pinheiros in São Paulo, Brazil.

The dogs have a history of abandonment and are looking for adopters. They are fed with PremieR pet products.

During the semifinal and grand finale of the tournament on March 4 and 5 a group of CãoDulas will appear: Cindy, Nanda, Pretinha, Mia, Arlete and Ovelha, from the non-governmental organizations Projeto Segunda Chance (Second Chance Project) and Cão Sem Dono (Dog Without Owner).

PremieR history of shelter dog involvement

For many years, PremieR pet has supported the cause of adoption and subsidizes the feeding of thousands of dogs and cats by non-governmental organizations throughout Brazil through the PremieR pet Institute, according to the company. 

During Brazil Open 2016, another set of the CãoDulas, made up of Frida, Mel, Costela and Isabelle, appeared on the tennis courts. All of the dogs were subsequently adopted. Isabelle, for example, was adopted by a young couple and named for one of the stars of tennis, Serena.

Dry pet food production in Brazil

Worldwide production of dry pet food reached nearly 25 million metric tons (MMT) in 2016, rising a healthy 10.6 percent over 2015 production, according to Alltech’s Global Feed Survey 2017, reported Petfood Industry. Dry pet food production is particularly increasing in developing markets and regions of the world.

Brazil, the second largest dry pet food producer globally, and Mexico enjoyed increases: 2.9 and 2.2 percent, respectively, with volumes of 2.5 and 0.92 MMT, according to Alltech’s data.