A guide dog can bring tremendous joy and meaning to the life of a visually impaired person, something money cannot buy. In Japan, however, the number of guide dogs falls short of the requirements.

At present, about 1,000 guide dogs are in service nationwide. This number indicates that there is only one guide dog per eight blind persons. Mars Japan will continue to be committed to increasing the number of guide dogs.

Key Activities:

• Donated puppies to the Japan Guide Dog Association (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2007).
• Hosted and given free entry to the Love Dogs Concert, held by Iruka and Yamamoto Kotaro, to promote understanding of guide dogs (1991).
• Invited Mr. Conlon, Director of the Royal Guide Dog Association of Australia, to Japan (1991, 1993).
• Held Guide Dog Charity Walk nationwide (10 events in total from 1992 through to 2001).
• Guide Dog Caravan in Stores (1991 to 2001)
• Placed donation boxes and held events to raise awareness of guide dogs at do-it-yourself stores in major cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka.
• Guide Dog Caravan in Elementary Schools (1991 to 1999)
• Visited elementary schools nationwide to educate children on the need for guide dogs.
• Work Dog Campaign (1996 to 1998)
• Held events to explain the activities of disaster rescue dogs and other work dogs (service dogs and hearing assistance dogs), which had gained increasing attention after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, at Tamagawa Takashimaya (1996, 1997) and Shinjuku Takas
• PEDIGREE® Guide Dog Charity Station (2001)
• Held charity events on the streets in the central locations such as Shinjuku in Tokyo.
• PEDIGREE® In-Shop Campaign (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• Held campaigns nationwide every spring to donate a part of the proceeds of PEDIGREE® products to the the National Guide Dog Support Fund.
• Sponsored Japan Guide Dog Association's Guide Dog Charity Golf (2005, 2006)
• Supported the establishment of Japan Guide Dog Association's Japan Guide Dog Center in Fujimiya, Shizuoka (2004 to 2006)
• Held an event to introduce a guide dog puppy, along with a campaign to solicit a pet name, and a naming ceremony (2007).