Daily CSR

The above photo was taken by Mark Mauno / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

Elanco is guided by a simple belief: when the lives of animals improve, people benefit too. That philosophy is reflected in the company’s continuing partnership with Medical Mutts Service Dogs, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit that rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to become highly capable service companions.

The partnership brings together two important goals—giving shelter dogs another opportunity while helping people with disabilities gain greater independence and confidence. Together, Elanco and Medical Mutts are demonstrating the powerful connection between people and animals.

Turning Shelter Dogs Into Service Companions
Rather than relying solely on purpose-bred service dogs, Medical Mutts searches animal shelters for dogs with the temperament and abilities needed for specialized service work. These rescue dogs are then given extensive training to assist people with a range of invisible disabilities.

Their capabilities can include:

Diabetes detection: Identifying changes associated with dangerously high or low blood sugar.
Seizure assistance: Alerting their handlers to potential seizures and providing support during or after an episode.
PTSD assistance: Helping veterans and others affected by trauma through grounding, reassurance and other forms of support.

This approach gives dogs that might otherwise remain in shelters the chance to perform meaningful work while providing their future handlers with valuable assistance.

Elanco's Role in the Partnership
Effective service-dog training requires dogs to be healthy, attentive and capable of learning. Elanco supports Medical Mutts by helping ensure that these animals receive appropriate care as they undergo their demanding training.

The partnership includes several areas of collaboration:

Supporting Indy: Elanco sponsored the training and placement of Indy, a rescue dog working with Medical Mutts. Indy later became a featured part of Elanco's grand opening in October 2025.
Promoting adoption: The organizations are helping demonstrate what shelter dogs can accomplish, challenging misconceptions about rescued animals and encouraging more people to consider adoption.
Strengthening the Indianapolis community: Both organizations have strong connections to Indianapolis. Their collaboration allows them to support the local community while drawing wider attention to animal welfare and the potential of rescue dogs.

Bringing Expertise Into the Workplace
The relationship between the two organizations extends beyond service-dog training. Medical Mutts also contributes its expertise to Elanco's Pets at Work initiative by assessing employees' dogs for temperament and behavior.

The evaluation follows principles similar to those used when Medical Mutts identifies potential service dogs. By assessing whether dogs are comfortable and well suited to an office environment, the program helps maintain a workplace that is safe, welcoming and productive for both employees and their pets.

Through this partnership, Elanco and Medical Mutts are showing that rescue dogs can make a meaningful difference—not only in the lives of people with disabilities, but also within workplaces and the wider community.