The Kroger Co. and Nestlé Purina have teamed up for the second annual “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” campaign, which celebrates the unique bond between people and their pets while simultaneously raising funds for animal welfare organizations nationwide.

The joint effort will invite animal lovers to share their favorite pet tales online (www.TalesForThePetLoversHeart.com) through the end of November and will culminate with the national airing of a TV special on WGN America. For every pet tale posted, the Cincinnati-based retailer and Purina will make an additional donation to animal welfare organizations.

“Aligning our family of stores with one of the world’s leading pet food manufacturers allows us to recognize the special bond our customers share with their pets,” said Bill Dankworth, Kroger’s VP/grocery/direct store delivery.

“There is an unmistakable bond between people and their pets,” agreed David Tornberg, marketing manager at St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina. “Our project with Kroger enables us to further engage pet lovers with a program that gives back to the communities in which our consumers live and allows us to share endearing stories about the human-pet relationship.”

The “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” TV special will celebrate six pet lovers and spotlight the positive effects people and their pets have on one another. The program will further also highlight relationships between owners and their pets from submissions on the Web site.

“This program brings to life one of the most powerful human relationships -- that between a person and their pet,” said pet owner Melissa Heeter of Atlanta, who was featured along with her dogs on last year’s program. “It was a privilege to work with Purina and Kroger in 2008 to share my story about the bond that my dogs and I share,” while also helping to support local animal welfare organizations, Heeter added.

A key aspect of the campaign, which will enable Kroger to create a multi-faceted event across its family of 2,475 stores, are specially designed “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” displays that will convey the companionship and love between people. The effort will also include POS collateral along with in-store and circular coupons.

DunnhumbyUSA, a leader in data management, customer analysis and insight-led planning, will monitor the campaign and identify ways to improve customers’ shopping experiences.