2012 Beneful® Dream Dog Park Contest Fact Sheet

In 2012, Beneful® brand dog food and Eric Stonestreet – Emmy Award-winning actor and one of TV’s most playful personalities – have teamed up to inspire more PLAY across America with the launch of the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest. Now in its third year, the contest inspires dog owners to dream up their ideal play destination with their four-legged best buddies.

What is the Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest?

The Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest invites dog owners across the country to answer the question: “If you had $500,000 to create a Dream Dog Park where you and your best buddy can play together, what would you do?” The Grand Prize Winner’s dream idea will help serve as inspiration for a $500,000 renovation of a dog park in his or her area. The winner receives a $10,000 cash award and a one-year supply of Beneful brand dog food.

The contest entry requirements are as follows:

  • Round 1: Dog owners can enter the contest from July 12 through August 22 by visiting the contest website ( and reading the official rules. Entrants are required to upload a photo of them with their dog, as well as a 250-word (or less) essay that describes what they would do if they had $500,000 to create a Dream Dog Park where they and their best buddy can play together.
  • Round 2: An outside judging panel will select up to 20 finalists from Round 1 using the following judging criteria.
  • Creativity of the idea(s) to inspire more opportunities to play with your dog at your neighborhood dog park (60%);
  • Feasibility of bringing the idea to life (20%); and
  • Effectively demonstrates how life is better together with your dog (20%).

The finalists will then be asked to submit a video (two minutes or less) that brings their dream dog park ideas to life and explains how it would make daily adventures with their dogs even better. Finalist videos will be posted on BenefulDreamDogPark.comfor public viewing and voting between October 10 and November 7.

  • Winner Announcement: One Grand Prize Winner will be chosen by national consumer voting (20% ofthe total score) and judging by the Beneful Dream Team (80% of the total score) using the same criteria above. The Dream Team includes: Eric Stonestreet, dog lover and Emmy Award-winning actor on the hit TV show Modern Family; Jason Cameron, licensed contractor and host of DIY’s “Desperate Landscapes,” who manages the $500,000 renovation; and pet expert Arden Moore who oversees the renovation from the dog’s point of view. The winner will be announced in November 2012 and the third Beneful Dream Dog Park will be unveiled in summer 2013.

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Why PLAY?

In 2012, Beneful® took a closer look at the “State of Play” in America with a national survey of dog owners and non-dog owners.* Results support Beneful’s mission to inspire more opportunities for PLAY – especially with our four-legged friends! Key findings include:

  • More PLAY, please! – 82% of the total adults surveyed say they don’t believe Americans are experiencing enough play in their lives, and only one in five (20%) say they play every day. Half (50%) of the total survey respondents say that having more energy would encourage them to play more, as well as having more free time (49%).
  • Dogs help inspire PLAY – The dog owners surveyed are 30 percent more likely than non-dog owners to play several times a week or more. And, over two-thirds (61%) of dog owners say they most like to play with their dog, more than their spouse/significant other (48%) and friends (37%).
  • PLAYis positive – Play triggers many positive emotional and physical benefits for dog owners and non-dog owners alike, including: feeling happy (66%), relaxed (43%) and healthy (35%).
  • Room to run is fun, but… –More than half (55%) of dog owners agree that having a local dog park with more exciting amenities would enhance time spent playing with their four-legged buddy.
  • Dogs are the perfect PLAYmate–Almost two-thirds (63%) of the dog owners surveyed say they define play as spending time with their dog, and 22 percent agree they would never play if they didn’t have a dog.

Tips for Entering the 2012 Beneful Dream Dog Park Contest

  • Dream BIG –Think about all the places you and your best buddy love to PLAY together, such as the beach, mountains, countryside or city, and include those ideas in your dream dog park. Consider coming up with a theme for your design and include fun elements you don’t usually see in a typical dog park. And, remember – Dream Big!
  • Creativity counts – Think about new and unique ways you can PLAY with your dog, as creativity of your idea(s) counts for 60 percent of the contest judging criteria. Entries will also be judged based on the feasibility of bringing the idea to life (20%) and how your ideas effectively demonstrate how life is better together with your dog (20%).
  • Read the rules – Check out the official contest rules at BenefulDreamDogPark.combefore entering.

*The 2012 Beneful “State of Play” survey was fielded online by ORC International on April 16-22, 2012, among a sample of 2,024 American adults comprising 1,001 men and 1,023 women 18 years of age and older. The sample comprised 789 adults who own a dog.

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