PetSmart® and PetSmart Charities Join Brooklyn Pet Community

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Beginning November 7, PetSmart^® PETM officially becomes a member of the Brooklyn neighborhood, with two new store openings in Boerum Hill, 238 Atlantic Avenue and Canarsie, 8725 Avenue D. Brooklyn's newest resident brings with it approximately 40 jobs and, with the partnership of PetSmart Charities^®, will help save homeless pets in the community.

PetSmart Charities, an independent, non-profit organization focused on saving the lives of homeless pets in North America, works with local animal welfare organizations such as Manhattan-based A Tail at a Time and Brooklyn's own Brooklyn Animal Foster Network to help find loving, lifelong homes for the area's homeless pets while also providing funding for other life-saving initiatives for pets. The two Brooklyn PetSmart stores will house PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers and give local animal welfare partners a place to adopt out homeless cats and dogs. More than 400,000 pets find homes every year through the adoption centers, and one pet's life is saved every 39 seconds that the PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers are open.

“Since 2005, we have found homes for 4,000 homeless pets in Brooklyn and by working with PetSmart, we anticipate doubling or even tripling that number in the years to come,” said Laurie Bleier, founder and director of the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network.

In addition to finding their next four-legged family member through in-store adoptions, Brooklyn-area pet parents can experience the convenience of one-stop-shop pet care in their own backyard. The new PetSmart stores in Boerum Hill and Canarsie house everything they need to keep their pets happy and healthy, such as apparel and accessories, bedding, foods, snacks, toys and more.

Moreover, each location features grooming and dog training services conducted by fully trained staff, and the Boerum Hill store also has a Banfield Pet Hospital^®, providing complete veterinary care. Pet parents can also turn to PetSmart's knowledgeable store associates to help them with everything from choosing the right pet for the family to habitat set-up, nutrition and playtime.

“Brooklyn is such a pet-friendly environment, and that's why PetSmart is a perfect addition to the community,” says Scott Marcus, manager of the Boerum Hill store who lives in Williamsburg. “My staff and I live and work in the area. We're excited to meet fellow pet parents around the neighborhood and provide the best care for their pets in our Brooklyn stores.”

PetSmart associates will be on hand this Saturday, October 29, at the Halloween Haunted Walk & Carnival in Prospect Park. This event will be Brooklyn pets' first experience with PetSmart, and their pet parents can learn more about the new stores, as well as win prizes like coupons, toys and more.

On November 12, each store will host a Grand Opening celebration all day for families and their pets, featuring a dog trick training contest and coupon and prize giveaways. The first 50 people in line will receive a mystery gift card with values ranging from $5-$50. The Banfield Pet Hospital inside the Boerum Hill PetSmart store is also hosting a “Hottest Dog” contest. World championship competitive eater and Coney Island icon, Joey Chestnut, will be the lead judge in naming the official “Hottest Dog,” while partner, Nathan's Famous, will serve up unlimited hot dogs for pet parents and guests on-site. The pet officially named the “Hottest Dog” will receive a free Optimum Wellness Plan from Banfield, which includes preventive veterinary care for a year.

Grand Opening weekend also marks PetSmart Charities' National Adoption Weekend (Nov. 11-13), proudly sponsored by PetSmart, Purina^® Pro Plan^® and Tidy Cats^®, when Brooklynites can join thousands of other pet parents in giving a homeless pet a lifelong, loving home. Participating local adoption partners will receive a $35 adoption-reward grant from PetSmart Charities for every pet adopted during the weekend event. The two new Brooklyn stores will play an important role in reaching this year's fourth and final National Adoption Weekend goal of saving more than 17,000 pets' lives.

“To see the scores of happy pets accompanying their ‘parents' on our borough's streets and in places like Coney Island and Prospect Park—or Prospect ‘Bark' as it's known to our canine friends—it's hard to imagine there are hundreds and hundreds of homeless animals in Brooklyn in need of a good home,” says Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz. “As the proud ‘father' to a 10-year-old African Grey Parrot named Beep, I know the joy a pet can bring to your life, and that's why we're thrilled to have PetSmart and PetSmart Charities adoption centers in our Brooklyn neighborhoods to help create new families by helping pets find loving homes.”

Pet parents can participate in year-round events at these PetSmart stores that celebrate the bond with their pets, which include the annual Santa Claws event, which takes place each weekend in December, allowing pets to sit on Santa's lap and take the classic holiday photo. Every October, PetSmart also hosts a Howl-O-Ween party where pets can show off their costumes in the costume parade and best costume contest.

To learn more about PetSmart, their stores, products and services, please visit www.petsmart.com. To learn about the many ways that PetSmart Charities is saving the lives of homeless pets, visit www.petsmartcharities.org.

About PetSmart

PetSmart, Inc. PETM is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company employs approximately 48,000 associates and operates more than 1,197 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, over 185 in-store PetSmart^® PetsHotel^® dog and cat boarding facilities and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information (http://www.petsmart.com). PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products; and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp ^SM day care services and pet adoption services. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization and the largest funder of animal welfare efforts in North America, has provided more than $134 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities^®, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 4.5 million pets.

About PetSmart Charities®

Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. The largest funder of animal-welfare efforts in North America, PetSmart Charities has provided more than $134 million in grants and programs benefiting animal-welfare organizations and has helped save the lives of nearly 5 million pets through its in-store adoption program. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working toward its vision of a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit www.petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS (7387).

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