PHOENIX, 2016-May-23 — /EPR Retail News/ — More than 24,000 pets found their forever homes last week during PetSmart’s signature National Adoption Weekend event held at more than 1,400 PetSmart stores across North America – setting another PetSmart adoption record and continuing its trend of adopting more pets at its 2016 nation-wide events than it has since they were initiated by the retailer more than a decade ago.
24,417 pets were adopted throughout the event last week (Monday – Sunday), the second-best National Adoption Weekend event on record for PetSmart and representing a 43 percent adoption increase over last year’s May event. PetSmart is on track to save its 7 millionth life in early fall. The May event also included more than 200 stores – double the number from the last National Adoption Weekend event held in February – and expanded life-saving efforts to include small animals such as ferrets, guinea pigs and rabbits with 530 small pets adopted.
These signature National Adoption Weekend events are held at PetSmart, The Adopt Spot, in collaboration with PetSmart Charities®, PetSmart CharitiesTM of Canada and thousands of local animal welfare organizations. While called National Adoption “Weekend,” the adoption efforts span the week with the majority of the pets, about 22,272, adopted between Friday and Sunday when many stores host large parking lot tent-events with their local adoption partners to connect adoptable pets with their forever families.
“We are thrilled so many pets – more than 24,000 in all – found their forever homes this past week at The Adopt Spot,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “Our signature National Adoption Weekend events are highly coordinated efforts involving all aspects of our company, PetSmart Charities, PetSmart Charities of Canada and thousands of animal welfare partners. From setting up tents and preparing stores to serve as adoption centers, we couldn’t be more proud of the collaborative efforts that resulted in this recent adoption success – together we are saving lots of lives!”
Last year PetSmart hit a major milestone, adopting out more than 500,000 pets in a single year and in February, its first National Adoption Weekend of 2016, PetSmart hit its first record with more than 25,000 pets adopted – more than any previous event. For every 30 seconds a PetSmart store is open a pet’s life is saved, totaling about 1,400 lives saved every day.
The Adopt Spot, Where People Save Pets (and Pets Save People)
PetSmart is The Adopt Spot, where pets find their forever homes every day among PetSmart’s pet-loving customers and guests. Since its founding in 1987, PetSmart recognized the pet homelessness problem and made the decision to never sell dogs or cats. In 1994 and 1999, PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada were respectively created as nonprofit organizations with a mission to end pet homelessness. Together, they are now the leading animal welfare organizations granting more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare groups in North America – $274 million to date.
Each year, about 7 million pets enter shelters across North America and some 3 million healthy, adoptable pets are euthanized. To save lives, PetSmart joins PetSmart Charities, PetSmart Charities of Canada and nearly 3,000 local animal welfare organizations across North America on a range of powerful adoption events in PetSmart stores including National Adoption Weekends held four times a year.
“PetSmart is so committed to ending pet homelessness and saving pets’ lives through adoption, it delivers nearly 10,000 free Adoption Kits every week to those who adopt – a gift to anybody who gives the gift of life,” said Cohen. “The PetSmart Adoption Kit is industry-leading and available to anybody who adopts, no matter where they adopt* – at PetSmart, a shelter, community event, or even another retailer.”
The PetSmart Adoption Kit provides important content on how to integrate a pet into the family and true value – with more than $400 in real savings – to the adoption parent. Included are coupons for a free bag of dog or cat food from Simply Nourish™, Authority® or Good Natured™, as well as a free veterinarian visit, half-off on two grooming services, a free training session with an accredited trainer, a free Doggie Day Camp session and a free overnight boarding stay. Also included are savings on all the essentials for a new pet including beds, crates, gates, brushes, feeding bowls, collars, leashes, toys and treats, as well as solutions like pet calming products and stain and odor remedies for the mishaps that are sure to occur.
To help new pet parents, on the weekend of May 28-29, just on the heels of its National Adoption Weekend, PetSmart will host its New Pet Event featuring education and problem-solutions tips to help first-time pet owners welcome their newest family member and celebrate all of the exciting “firsts.”
Share your adoption pics and stories! #theadoptspot
*Adoption papers required.
About PetSmart®
PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate approximately 1,450 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 202 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents – including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 500,000 homeless pets each year. In addition, PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich people’s lives—we live it.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly 500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each year millions of PetSmart shoppers contribute to PetSmart Charities to help pets in need by making donations on a pin pad at the register. PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar to support its mission of finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc. PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13 years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.
About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Each year more than 20,000 cats and dogs find Canadian homes through our adoption program in nearly all PetSmart stores across Canada and our sponsored adoption events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada has granted more than $9 million to help pets in need with a funding focus on adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered charity, independent from PetSmart.
Contacts:
Golin for PetSmart Inc.:
Danielle Bickelmann
dbickelmann@golin.com
972-341-2503
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177