New Blood Entry — Martins Millers, David Carr

All the research quoted and used to support this case study is from Mintel reports, Age UK, and the Dogs Trust research paper ‘Research to Support the Canine Charter for Human Health 2011’. To find the elderly owners who will take part in this initiative we have considered a number of approaches: We use the data available to the Department Of Health like government census, surveys and reports. We talk to doctors, informing them about DogShare and encouraging them to spread the message to elderly patients. We would also create brochures and posters to display in doctors waiting rooms and at veterinary clinics. We use supermarket cashiers and staff to inform elderly shoppers of DogShare. We can use club-point data to specifically target the elderly shoppers buying dog food. We urge younger members of families and communities to help sign elderly members of their community / family up to the initiative. These approaches will help us reach as many elderly dog owners as possible. We have also created a system to connect the families with the elderly dog owners. We give each dog a unique code so when a family wants to connect with a dog they ring the DogShare phone number and add the 4 digit code on the end. This connects the family directly to the dog owner. This system protects the dog owners personal information, and creates a universal way of communicating between the generations. Before a family can use the DogShare service they have to complete a dog-care course, hosted at schools and at local dog shelters. This course helps ensure the safety of both the dog and the dog-walker, and it will make our service more trusted.