PetSmart® Launches Fourth Annual Patriotic Service Offerings Benefitting PetSmart Charities®-Supported Veterans’ Service Dog Programs

To Kick-Off Military Appreciation Month, $1 from Select PetSmart Grooming, Dog Training and PetsHotel® Services to be Donated to Support Veterans Programs Aimed at Restoring Independence

To support National Military Appreciation Month in May, PetSmart is offering a selection of patriotic-themed pet services to honor the sacrifices made by the nation’s servicemen and women. Now through July 5, 2017, $1 from select grooming, dog training and PetsHotel boarding services will be donated to PetSmart Charities to support service dog programs and initiatives that help veterans with disabilities and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) restore their physical and emotional independence. (Photo: Business Wire)

PHOENIX--()--May is National Military Appreciation Month, and PetSmart, the nation’s leading pet specialty retailer, is pleased to offer a selection of patriotic-themed pet services to honor the sacrifices made by the nation’s servicemen and women. Now through July 5, 2017, $1 from select grooming, dog training and PetsHotel boarding services will be donated to PetSmart Charities to support service dog programs and initiatives that help veterans with disabilities and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) restore their physical and emotional independence.

“The PetSmart Patriotic Service offerings are just one way to show our appreciation for veterans for their selfless acts of service to our country,” said Joanna Zucker, vice president of Services for PetSmart. “By working collaboratively with PetSmart Charities, we’re helping veterans who need it to connect with service dog programs and experience the healing powers and companionship of pets first-hand.”

The following philanthropic patriotic services* are available at PetSmart stores across the U.S. now through July 5, 2017, with $1 from each service purchased supporting PetSmart Charities-funded programs aimed at supporting veterans:

  • Treat your pet to a grooming upgrade with a patriotic add-on service, including Top Dog, Top Pup, FURminator® Deshedding Services, CHI® and Pawdicure services offered in PetSmart’s Grooming Salons
  • Show your pup’s patriotism with a yellow “Support our Troops” ribbon stencil by Pet Expressions**, a unique service offered in PetSmart’s Grooming Salons
  • Sign up for a six-week PetSmart Dog Training class
  • Register for an all-inclusive PetsHotel Package

Over the past three years, through shoppers’ purchases of these and similar services that give back, PetSmart and PetSmart Charities have donated more than $400,000 to veterans’ programs.

This year’s funding supports programs to train service dogs that can help veterans with physical disabilities complete everyday tasks that may now be challenging. As well, according to a study funded by the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI), animal-assisted interventions and support can reduce people’s stress, depression, anxiety and help with conditions like PTSD among veterans. In a separate study, it was found that service dogs can reduce nightmare frequency, lower feelings of social isolation and increase levels of well-being.

“The unconditional love and attention that pets can provide has extraordinary health benefits to both everyday pet parents and those requiring support from pet-assisted service or therapy programs,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities and chair of the Research Working Group at HABRI. “The power of pets can truly improve our quality of life and well-being. With the donations through these PetSmart philanthropic services, we expect to help enhance the lives of military veterans.”

PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, recently expanded its mission to include finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. This new mission allows the organization to support animal welfare organizations in more ways than ever before, and even reach other nonprofits that help connect people and pets. The new “Enhancing the Quality of Life Through Pets” grant category, open year-round for applications, supports programs that train pets to become services animals for people who need it most, including military veterans with disabilities or PTSD.

For more information on PetSmart and PetSmart Charities, please visit PetSmart.com or PetSmartCharities.org.

*All services are subject to availability.
** Not available in SC, Boulder, CO & select cities in CA. Colors may vary by salon. Available to puppies 12 weeks and older.

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, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 55,000 associates, operate more than 1,500 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as pet-focused services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart® Doggie Day Camp® and pet adoption. PetSmart, together with non-profits PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, invite more than 3,000 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 7.3 million adoptions – more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. The company’s portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, Pet360.com, petMD.com, Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that helps potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their home, family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world’s first pet blogger and influencer network. Through these digital platforms, PetSmart offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart launched its Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program in March 2017. For every bag of cat or dog food purchased March 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will donate a meal to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million meals in 2017***.

Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

***Ends 12/31/17. 5 oz. dog food, 1.5 oz. cat food donated to PetSmart Charities to feed dogs and cats in need. See details at petsmart.com/giveameal. The actual number of meals donated is based on dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet food donation in the U.S.

About PetSmart Charities®

PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300 million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row -- placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org

Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc

Contacts

PetSmart
Lauren Sawyer, 623-271-3920
or
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177

Contacts

PetSmart
Lauren Sawyer, 623-271-3920
or
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177