Victoria Day Long-Weekend May Be the Perfect Time to Bring Home An Adoptable Pet from a PetSmart Near You
PetSmart Charities® of Canada is Hosting a National Adoption Weekend May 17 – 19 in
PetSmart Stores Across Canada.
BURLINGTON, ON, May 15, 2019 /CNW/ - The Victoria Day Weekend is best known as Canada's kick-off to summer. It's a time for backyard barbeques, camping trips and picnics with family and friends. It's also National Adoption Weekend May 17 - 19 at PetSmart stores across the nation. A veterinarian and pet care expert from PetSmart Charities of Canada notes that long weekends can also be the perfect time to welcome a new pet into the home.
"While an extra day at home may not seem like a lot, that additional time together can be very beneficial for both pets and their newly adoptive families," says Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM and Senior Manager of Veterinary Outreach at PetSmart Charities. "Adopting a pet over a long weekend gives you the opportunity build a special bond with your new pet, right at the start. It will also give your new pet a buffer as they transition between life in a shelter and life in their new loving home."
Landis-Hanna also offered the following three tips for people considering adopting a pet at PetSmart Charities of Canada's May National Adoption Weekend.
- A Space of Their Own: A recently adopted pet can become overwhelmed with the amount of new spaces, faces, sounds and smells inside their new home. To help them adjust, bring a favourite blanket or toy from the shelter so they have something familiar. Give your pet a space of their own where they can feel safe and secure. It could be a crate, a bed or cat house, or a smaller space or room defined by a gate. As the new pet becomes more comfortable in the home, you can provide more freedom for your pet to roam about and explore their new surroundings.
- Slow and Steady Socialization: Long weekends can provide several opportunities to socialize your pet with other people and pets but be sure to start off slowly since you and your pet are just getting to know one another. Start with very short, supervised visits and always monitor for signs of stress and allow your pet time to return to their safe spot afterwards. If you've adopted a puppy or kitten, they may not have received all their vaccinations yet, so limit interactions with other pets to avoid potential illnesses.
- Lots and Lots of Love: One of the most important things you can do for your newly adopted pet is show them love. Petting, walking, feeding, playing and rewarding good behaviour with praise and treats will help to ensure your pet feels safe, loved and happy in their new home. Soon, they too will be showering unconditional love upon their new pet parents. In fact, pets have been shown to help maintain good physical and mental health in their pet parents too!
"Having a pet is one of the best ways to experience the magic of the human-animal bond," Landis-Hanna continued. "Research is showing there are many way animals benefit humans and vice versa. We look forward to bringing more people and pets together during our upcoming National Adoption Weekend."
Thinking of Adopting? Here are the details on National Adoption Weekend:
May 17 – 19, more than 200 humane societies, SPCAs and pet rescues will be bringing a host of adorable, adoptable pets into just about every PetSmart store across Canada. Visit www.petsmart.ca to find the nearest PetSmart store or search for adoptable pets online at www.petsmartcharities.ca.
Dates: Fri., May 17 – Sun., May 19, 2019
Times: Fri. and Sat.: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. & Sun.: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. local time
Locations: Nearly every one of the 140 PetSmart stores across Canada
Since 1999, through the in-store adoption program inside PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of Canada and its network of adoption partners have helped more than 295,000 pets to find loving homes. These adoptions happen during four National Adoption Weekends taking place in Feb., May, Sept. and Nov., as well as every day at the PetSmart Charities of Canada cat adoption centres located in stores.
Not ready to adopt?
You can still help shelter pets to find forever homes by taking a photo of an adoptable pet and posting it on your social media channels with #PicMe.
About PetSmart Charities® of Canada
PetSmart® Charities of Canada is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across Canada, PetSmart Charities of Canada helps to find forever homes and families for more than 25,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities of Canada also provides grant funding to registered Canadian charities aligned with its mission. Each year, more than 500,000 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 of Canada efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as a leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, granting more than $19 million since its inception in 1999. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity, a member of Imagine Canada and is independent from the PetSmart business in Canada. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.ca
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc
About PetSmart®
In Canada, 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. PetSmart employs approximately 4,800 associates and operates more than 140 pet stores in Canada, as well as eight in-store PetSmart PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. The retailer provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding at PetSmart Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart and PetSmart Charities® of Canada work with more than 200 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 295,000 adoptions, more than any other brick-and-mortar organization.
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart on Instagram: @PetSmart
Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
PetSmart homepage: http://www.petsmart.ca
SOURCE PetSmart Charities of Canada
Nikki Altman, 647-475-4494, [email protected]
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