 |
|
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
An Adoption Story
Here is a great rescue story from Petfinder.com, PETCO's online adoption partner. Enjoy!
Try, Try Again
"Too noisy" -- that was one of the reasons Bo and Juba were returned to Siamese and Chinese Crested Rescue of Ontario.
The adopter simply didn't like their expressive vocalizations. The two had ended up in rescue in the first place because their owner died and her sister couldn't keep them. Another adopter had a resident cat that didn't take well to the two colorpoint shorthairs. The cats were on a downward spiral from home to home to home.
Then Barbara saw them on Petfinder.com and she contacted the shelter. They had just been adopted again, and she was quite disappointed. While she was glad they had found a home, she considered it her good fortune when that adopter also returned them after a few days.
Despite being bounced around so much, these two absolutely gorgeous purebred boys settled into Barbara's home immediately and lovingly appreciated of everything she did for them.
She says they are the best tempered, "people" cats she has ever been around.
 It took a bit of time, but Bo and Juba have ended up where they belong -- in a loving home with someone who appreciates them.
Siamese and Chinese Crested Rescue of Ontario posts its pets at http://sccrescueofontario.petfinder.com/.
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
PETCO Saves 5,500 Pets in One Week
Every Monday the report comes out and every Monday I hope and I hope. This past Monday was no different.
The report arrived Monday and I opened the attachment. I scrolled through as fast as I could to the total results. With tears in my eyes I read 5,573 total reported adoptions for last week, July 15 through July 21.
Who knew that PETCO was so passionate about adoptions? Who knew that helping homeless pets was so important? Who knew that we could all make such a difference?
The homeless pets that we helped to save knew. They never lose faith in us. I see them at the shelters every week and they seem to just know that soon they will find a home. Every time a family walks by their kennel, they happily greet them hoping that they are the one, hoping it's their turn. Sadly, more often than I care to think about, for some it is never their turn.
Through our efforts to help adoption partners show their adoptable pets in our stores, together we have saved over 5,500 pets from euthanasia in just one week!
PETCO and the PETCO Foundation and our Adoption Partners are on track to record over 250,000 adoptions in 2007, WOW!
Thank you to all PETCO associates and customers that help make a difference in the lives of animals!
Remember, we are the in the middle of our Round Up/Spay Today fundraiser and all donations go to help these adoption groups and homeless animals in your community.
Susan
National Adoptions Coordinator
|
|
|
Thursday, July 19, 2007
PETCO 'Rounds Up' Donations to Save Pets' Lives
Our Annual Round Up fundraiser is now underway. Help save a life today!
The following was just released:
SAN DIEGO (July 19, 2007) - Customers who give nickels, dimes and quarters are saving pets' lives around the nation.
By rounding up their purchases at PETCO to the nearest dollar they help local animal welfare groups, such as the Humane Association of Wilson County in Lebanon, Tenn., who was able to spay/neuter 174 feral, free roaming cats thanks to donations made during the PETCO Foundation's Annual Round Up/ Spay Today fundraiser.
Each year, PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. and the PETCO Foundation help to fund thousands of spay/neuter surgeries through Round Up/Spay Today. The fundraiser, now underway, encourages PETCO customers to round up their purchases to the next highest dollar. All proceeds benefit local spay/neuter focused animal welfare organizations that help prevent the births of unwanted puppies and kittens and save the lives of homeless animals in the communities PETCO shares. Recipients are chosen by each individual PETCO store, so donations stay within the community.
 In addition, 10 percent of all funds raised will be donated to Spay USA to support their programs and hotline. Spay USA is a nationwide network and referral service for affordable spay/neuter services. They have over 1,000 sterilization programs and clinics with over 7,000 veterinarians nationwide.
"Pet overpopulation is a problem embodied by thousands of unwanted puppies and abandoned kittens awaiting uncertain futures in our nation's shelters. Part of the solution to this problem lies in having pets spayed or neutered to reduce the number of unwanted litters," says PETCO Foundation Vice President and Director Paul Jolly.
To date, the PETCO Foundation has raised and donated over $10 million to spay/neuter organizations and efforts through Round Up/Spay Today fundraising. The 2007 Round Up/ Spay Today fundraiser ends on August 5, 2007.
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
PETCO Offers Sun Defense for Fido
Did you know that people are not the only ones who get sunburned? Our pets can suffer too! Most dogs, especially those with pale skin or short hair, are susceptible to sunburns on the tips of their ears, bridge of their nose, and underbellies.
To reduce the risk of sunburn for our canine companion, PETCO offers Sun Defense from NutaVet -- a special sunscreen formulated especially for dogs. Sun Defense contains both UVA and UVB barriers comparable to an SPF 15 sunscreen for humans.
Canine sunscreens should always be re-applied if your dog plays in the water or rolls around in grass. It is also non-toxic should it become ingested.
Come check out Sun Defense and our other NutraVet products at your local PETCO. It's a small price to pay to enjoy the sun all day!
|
|
|
Friday, July 13, 2007
PETCO Stars: Auditions Saturday
The buzz about the PETCO Stars event this Saturday is spreading like wildfire! We are so excited about it. If you haven't heard about our talent show, there is still time to prepare. Visit www.petco.com/stars to find details and a participating location near you. The gist of it is -- we are holding auditions across the country this Saturday, July 14, at 2 p.m. to find America's Most Talented pet. Each participant will receive a commemorative photo of their pet and the winner at each store location will win a gift card and will be eligible to submit a 60 second digital video of their pet to PETCO judges, who will pick the top 12 finalists. The finalists will be featured on our website and the nation will be able to vote and select the most talented pet. The grand prize winner will win a trip to LA and will be featured in PETCO's advertising!
Good luck!
Rachel M.
|
|
|
Thursday, July 12, 2007
PETCO Celebrates a New Grand Opening!
North Andover, Mass. is up for a real treat this weekend, with the celebration of their PETCO store's grand opening. The three-day event will include a variety of contests, free giveaways, a visit from Rainforest Reptiles, and pet photography.
What's most excting about this event is that many loveable creatured of all sizes will be on-site, looking to be adopted into a loving home. This is one event you should not miss!
To find the North Andover store, please click here.
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
New Press Release
PETCO Partners with Sittercity.com, Adds Petsitting to Pet Services From Pet Training and Grooming to an Online Pet First Aid Course, PETCO leads the industry in helping to ensure pets are happy, healthy, well-mannered and pampered. Now, PETCO is adding another benefit to its comprehensive list of services available to pet parents. PETCO is partnering with Sittercity, the nation's premier site for matching people with caregivers, to provide customers with access to hundreds of thousands of petsitters nationwide.  Sittercity is now featured on PETCO.com as part of the company's list of pet services. Sittercity will also be introduced in stores, starting in New York and Chicago, where selected stores will host Sittercity's famed Speedsitting events this summer. Fashioned after the popular speed-dating, Speedsitting allows parents to interview each petsitter for five minutes, rotating through a host of potential sitters to find the best match for their beloved pet. Petsitting is growing in popularity among pet owners as an alternative to kennel boarding since it enables furry loved ones to remain in safe, familiar environments with customary diet and exercise routines while their owners go out of town. Sittercity's more than 150,000 petsitters provide all aspects of pet care – from daily walks to medication administration to trips to the groomer. To learn more about PETCO's Pet Services or to sign up with Sittercity for a monthly fee or an annual membership, pet parents can visit www.PETCO.com/sittercity.
|
|
|
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Reptile Event Saturday
PETCO is hosting a Reptile Rendezvous event in 200 select stores this Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. To find a participating store near you, click here. The event will kick off with a terrific terrarium photo contest. I am going to bring in a photo of Lucy's habitat (my uromastyx). I can't win, because I am a PETCO associate, but I am really excited to check out what other people have done. I am most looking forward to the product demonstration at 1:30 of the new Excavator clay burrowing substrate by Zoo Med. I have been hearing a lot about this product and I can't wait to see it first hand. If you haven't heard about it, check it out on Saturday. You can actually build your own burrows and tunnels for your scaly friends or they can dig in and build them on their own. It is really cool. As a reptile owner (two leopard geckos, three turtles, a tortoise and uromastyx), it is not too often that something new and innovative like this comes out, so I am really jazzed up. FYI - Excavator is appropriate for bearded dragons, leopard geckos, sand boas and other burrowing snakes, swifts and spiny lizards, tarantulas and scorpions, and other reptiles that create burrows. After customers get to play with the Excavator substrate, there will be a reptile workshop, full of helpful info on habitat set up, maintenance, reptile nutrition and more. Even if you don't have a reptile, but you are thinking about getting one this is a great opportunity to ask questions and find out which species is right for you. Hope to see you there!
Rachel M.
|
|
|
Monday, July 02, 2007
Podcast Available Soon...
I recently did my first Petcast interview with Steve Freiss and Amy Turner. It was a great opportunity for me to talk about PETCO's informed, timely, and comprehensive response in the wake of the recent pet food recall. And while we did get a chance to talk about this very important subject, we also touched on adoptions of difficult animals, issues with Las Vegas area animal control, adoption criteria, the mission of the PETCO Foundation and what we have achieved across the country to help animals, and they even asked about my personal rescued animal family.
I called in a little early just to get a sense of who I would be speaking to and heard a little of the flavor of the show. I was impressed with how compassionate and caring the hosts seemed. The segment right before me was concerning a Pomeranian mix dog posted on Petfinder.com that seemed virtually unadoptable. They were discussing the slim to none chances that this poor dog has of finding a forever home. When I came on, I immediately told them some stories of some of my seemingly impossible to adopt animals and how they did eventually find loving homes or were still with me.
We discussed the amazing power of Petfinder.com and what a wonderful service PETCO provides with adoption events in the stores. While discussing the various groups that the PETCO Foundation donates to, the subject of the controversy swirling around the Las Vegas area (where the show originates) concerning animal control. We discussed the relative merits and problems with "no-kill" facilities and I feel we had a very relevant discussion. I was impressed that the hosts seemed to have thought through the issue and had some very pertinent points to make.
Of course through the whole interview my blue and gold macaw screamed in the kitchen (it was Saturday and I was calling from my office at home). This tickled Amy Turner who is a big bird lover anyway.
We eventually talked about the pet food recall and I gladly congratulated PETCO for their handling of this horrible, ever-changing situation. I told them that this was only natural as we are all animal lovers at PETCO and our empathy for what our customers were experiencing mirrored our own concerns.
My interview ended with them asking about each of my animals and how they came to be in my home.
The podcast will be available starting July 15th either on iTunes or at thePetcast.com.
Vice President and Director, PETCO Foundation
Paul Jolly
|
|
|
|
|
