Give a Homeless Pet the Best Gift of All – A Home for the Holidays

November 5, 2018

PetSmart Charities® and More Than 3,500 Animal Welfare Partners Hope to Help 25,000 Pets Find Homes During National Adoption Weekend, Nov. 9 – 11 at PetSmart® Stores

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Nov. 05, 2018 – The holidays are one of the busiest travel times of the year as people board planes, trains and automobiles to be home with their families for the festive season. From Nov. 9 – 11, tens of thousands of homeless pets will also be traveling to nearly all of the 1,600 PetSmart stores across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico in the hopes of going home for the holidays, too.  These pets are hoping to be adopted at PetSmart Charities’ November National Adoption Weekend (NAW).

Four times each year, PetSmart Charities invites more than 3,500 humane societies, SPCAs and rescue groups to bring adoptable pets into every PetSmart store across the continent. The weekend adoption blitz marks the last NAW of 2018—making it an ideal time to give a pet the best gift of all—a lifelong, loving home.

“By adopting a pet into your family this November, you’ll make sure they’re not spending the holidays in a shelter,” says David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D. and president of PetSmart Charities. “You’ll also enable your new furry friend to have the time they need to acclimate to your home, your family and your routines in advance of the busy festive season. But perhaps best of all, by adopting a pet you’ll also be giving yourself the gift of unconditional love.”

You can preview some of the adorable pets available for adoption by following PetSmart Charities on Twitter, Facebook  and Instagram during National Adoption Weekend. The organization will be hosting a three-day social media adopt-a-thon beginning at 4 p.m. EST on Fri., Nov. 9. iHeartRadio host and dog-loving DJ Johnjay Van Es will kick-off the adopt-a-thon with a special video message shared on iHeartRadio’s and his own social media channels and adoptable pets will be featured every hour on the hour on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10 – 11 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. EST.

Even if you’re not ready to adopt a pet this November, you can still help tens of thousands of pets find homes for the holidays by taking a photo. Take a picture of an adoptable pet in your local animal welfare organization or at your nearest PetSmart store and post it on social media using the hashtag #PicMe. Watch the #PicMe video to find out how taking a “selfless selfie” can help reduce pet homelessness.

November National Adoption Weekend Details:
Dates: Fri., Nov. 9 – Sun., Nov. 11, 2018
Times: Fri. and Sat.:  9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday:  10 a.m. – 6 p.m. local time
Locations: Your local PetSmart store. Visit www.petsmart.com to find a store near you.

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About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. 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 the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 500,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission under four key areas of support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets and Providing 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 more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $340 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart LLC, PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 15 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

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