Add Some Love to Your Home by Adopting a Shelter Pet; Save a Life and Change Your Own
BURLINGTON, ON, Feb. 12, 2018 /CNW/ - PetSmart Charities of Canada, PetSmart and 200 of their animal welfare partners across Canada will have lots of love in store this month. From Feb. 16 – 18, thousands of adorable, adoptable pets will be featured in nearly every one of PetSmart's 130-plus stores across the country during the first National Adoption Weekend of 2018. During the Family Day weekend event, PetSmart Charities of Canada is aiming to find forever homes for approximately 1,500 shelter pets.
"Watching a family fall in love with the perfect pet is one of the most heart-warming things you'll see," says David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., and president of PetSmart Charities of Canada. "While adopters are most certainly saving and enhancing the lives of shelter pets, the human-animal bond is a mutually beneficial relationship. Recent research shows that pets bring their fair share of benefits to the lives of their new pet parents, too."
A 2017 survey commissioned by PetSmart Charities of Canada and conducted by Wakefield Research found that ninety-three percent of pet parents said they had experienced at least one health benefit from their pet. The benefits range from increased physical activity and weight loss to improved mood and decreased stress. The same survey showed that when respondents were asked which would make them happier in the long run; winning the lottery or adopting a pet, two-thirds of Canadian respondents selected adopting a pet.
Two of the pets who will be looking for love during February's National Adoption Weekend are Dutchie (a 12-year-old terrier cross) and Buster (a 7-year-old cocker spaniel cross). They're a bonded pair of female pups who were surrendered to the Hamilton/Burlington SPCA (HBSPCA) after their long-time pet parents became ill and were no longer able to care for them. The team at the HBSPCA's on-site veterinary clinic provided much-needed wellness checks, dental work and vaccines to both dogs, in addition to spaying them to prevent any unplanned litters. Both Dutchie and Buster received clean bills of health and will be joining thousands of other dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, guinea pigs and rabbits in looking for their chance at a forever home during National Adoption Weekend.
Bring Love Home this National Adoption Weekend
From owner surrenders to unplanned litters, there's any number of reasons why pets may end up in a local animal shelter. On Feb. 16 – 18, more than 200 animal welfare organizations will bring adoptable pets into nearly all of PetSmart's 130-plus stores across Canada with a goal of finding homes for more than 1,500 pets during the weekend adoption event. If you're looking for a pet, why not bring love home this Family Day weekend?
Looking for A Different Way to Show Your Love of Pets?
Every PetSmart store will be collecting pet food donations at the check-out that will be provided to local shelters and in-store adoption partners following National Adoption Weekend. Even if you're not looking to adopt a pet, you can still help a pet in need.
National Adoption Weekend Details:
Date: |
Fri., Feb. 16 – Sun., Feb. 18, 2018 Fri. and Sat.: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. |
Time: |
Sun.: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. |
Location: |
Nearly every PetSmart store across Canada. |
A Free Gift for Those Who Adopt:
Regardless of which type of pet you choose to adopt, or where you adopted, PetSmart offers a free Adoption Kit* that provides important content that helps to integrate a new pet into the family.
*Adoption papers are required.
About PetSmart Charities® of Canada:
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity 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 more than 25,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of Canada provides funding to registered charities 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 Providing Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, half-a-million generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities of Canada using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 89 cents of every dollar donated and has become a leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, donating more than $14 million to date. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a member of Imagine Canada and is independent from PetSmart, Inc. To learn more, visit www.petsmartcharities.ca
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc
About PetSmart®
In Canada, PetSmart 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 more than 3,600 associates and operate 128 pet stores across Canada, with eight 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. The company's portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes PetSmart.ca, PETMD.com and the askPETMD app, Pawculture.com, 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 Canada.
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart and on Instagram: @PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
SOURCE PetSmart Charities of Canada
Golin for PetSmart Charities of Canada, Stephan Petar, [email protected], 416.483.6225 ext. 3441
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