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Tuesday, September 16, 2008
PETCO Foundation Deploys Help Where Needed in Ike's Aftermath
In the wake of Hurricane Ike, our nonprofit arm, the PETCO Foundation is working with Town Lake Animal Center, the agency coordinating the animal welfare response in the Houston area, as well as other groups in Texas, to provide food and supplies to meet the needs of companion animals affected by the storm.
We've provided crates, dog runs, food and other products to several groups, and reopening PETCO stores are also prepared with supplies to meet the recovery needs of animal welfare groups.
The current situation is markedly different from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
"Since Katrina, our team has worked closely with various animal welfare and government agencies to improve hurricane response plans along the Gulf Coast," said Paul Jolly, PETCO Foundation executive director. "The great news is that the plans put in place over the last three years are working. The need for emergency animal rescue efforts is down significantly this year - and that's making a big difference in the lives of animals and their human families."
The PETCO Foundation staff works throughout the year to help our Charitable Partners prepare for emergencies and disasters. We speak to the need to be prepared for natural disasters and man made disasters like hoarding busts when attending conferences. You never know when something could happen to your shelter or when you may be called upon to take in hundreds of additional animals. We encourage our partners to safely store the resources they have received from the PETCO Foundation for future needs.
We also educate ourselves for the long haul. Susan Rosenberg, the PETCO Foundation's National Adoptions and Disaster Relief Coordinator is FEMA Certified, has completed courses and received certification from the Humane Academy and is a member of the Animal Rescue Reserve - she consistently stands ready to deploy assistance around the country wherever disasters occur.
While we truly believe that while the two recent storms were not as devastating as Hurricane Katrina, we're proud to say that our Charitable Partners were well prepared for the animals in their care as well as when they found themselves caring for additional animals.
PETCO stores in Texas that are reopened to serve customers and animal welfare groups are as follows:
Sugar Land - 3326 Highway 6, Suite D, Sugar Land;
Beaumont - 4175 Dowlen Rd., Beaumont;
Corpus Christi - 6418-B South Staples Street, Corpus Christi;
Wilcrest - 10911, Westheimer Road, Houston;
River Oaks - 2110 South Shepherd, Houston;
Copperfield - 6883 Highway 6 North, Houston;
Hwy 290 - 12015 Northwest Freeway, Houston;
FM 1960 - 4431 FM 1960, Houston
Katy - 513 South Mason Road, Katy;
College Station - 1901 Texas Ave, Suite C, College Station
Clearlake - 2410 Bay Area Blvd. Suite B, Houston;
League City - 2895 Gulf Freeway South, League City;
Rosenberg - 23710 Commercial Drive, Rosenberg;
Pasadena - 3680 Spencer Highway, Pasadena; and
Westheimer - 7510 Westheimer, Houston;
Woodlands - 522 Sawdust Rd. Suite C1, Woodlands.
The following stores are working to reopen as soon as possible in the coming days:
Port Arthur - 8735 Memorial Blvd., Port Arthur;
Spring Cypress - 22511 State Highway 249, Houston;
Eldridge - 12310 FM 1960 W., Houston;
Weslayan - 5450 Weslayan, Suite 12, Houston;
Conroe - 1410 N. Loop 336 W., Conroe;
Baytown - 4665 Garth Rd., #400, Baytown;
Atascocita - 7067 FM 1960 Rd. E., Humble;
Spring - 19507 I-45 North, Suite 700, Spring;
Uvlade - 13341-13345 East Freeway, Houston;
Deerbrook - 210 FM 1960 East Bypass, Humble;
Lake Jackson - 117 W. Highway 332, Lake Jackson; and
Pearland - 3265 East Broadway, Pearland.
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Friday, September 12, 2008
PETCO Directs 169 Stores to Remove 4 PEDIGREE Products Subject to Voluntary Recall
Late Friday afternoon, we were notified by Mars Petcare about a voluntary recall of certain dry dog food products manufactured earlier this year at its Everson, Pa., facility because of concerns about potential salmonella contamination.
The voluntary recall affects four Mars products - all under the PEDIGREE brand - that reached 169 PETCO stores in 10 states, primarily in the mid-Atlantic.
While there have been no reports of pet illnesses, the health of our customers and their pets is our absolute priority - and tonight we have directed those 169 stores to immediately pull all packages of the four PEDIGREE products from shelves and withhold them from sale.
Customers who purchased those products from the 169 stores involved may return unused product for a full refund.
At the 169 PETCO stores affected, these are the four SKUs subject to the Mars voluntary recall:
SKU Description
1157612 PED-DOG 40# SMALL CRNCHY BITES
1157620 PED-DOG 36.4# LARGE BREED
1087045 PED-DOG 20# SM CRUNCHY BITES
147168 PED-DOG 8.8# MEALTIME SM BITE
PEDIGREE products produced at other manufacturing plants and on shelves in other PETCO stores across the country are not subject to the Mars voluntary recall and are not believed to carry any salmonella risk.
In a news release late this afternoon, Mars said it has no knowledge of any direct link between products produced at the Everson facility and any human or pet illness. The company has, however, announced the recall as a precautionary measure following a decision to stop any production at the facility on July 29, when it was alerted of a possible link between dry pet food produced at the plant and two isolated cases of people infected with salmonella.
The recall involves a number of brands Mars supplies to retailers nationwide, including products produced under proprietary store-brand labels. The recall affects products produced at the Everson plant from Feb. 18, 2008, through July 29, 2008.
It is important to note that many of the brands involved are produced at multiple Mars facilities nationwide and only a very small portion of the products is being recalled. In its press release, Mars said that Everson represents 2.7 percent of its total PEDIGREE production.
For more information and the full list of products being recalled by Mars, click here.
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