Partners in Pethood \ˈpärt-nərs ˈin ˈpetˌhu̇d\ – n.: PetSmart's Definition of Parenthood, But with Pets

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Every pet parent has been there: the potty training, the early mornings and late nights, the feedings, the doctor visits. PetSmart® PETM sees these experiences as ‘pethood' – similar to parenthood, but with the occasional fleas, harder bath times and, luckily, no eye rolling in the teen years. PetSmart brings pethood to life in a new campaign that launched during Sunday's biggest awards broadcast featuring actors Anna Faris, star of the TV show "Mom," and Jennifer Coolidge, of "American Pie" movie series and current TV show "2 Broke Girls."

"The idea of Partners in Pethood is based on a simple premise: 'Parents of Pets' are a lot like parents of children and they love their pets as much as parents love their kids," said Phil Bowman, PetSmart Executive Vice President, Customer Experience. "Our experiences with pethood are told through different types of pet parents, from the new, concerned pet parents to the ‘cool' pet parents. They might be a little eccentric, but they're definitely entertaining and – we hope – endearing."

The PetSmart Partners in Pethood story, created by advertising agency GSD&M, begins with a series of short films and ads that feature relatable pet parents in the throes of pethood – highlighting relatable antics such as the over-protective parent, new parents and the overly-competitive mom. These stories are brought to life by the recognizable improv of GO Film director Christopher Guest, actor, director, writer, musician and composer. Guest is joined in two spots by Faris and Coolidge.

In the journey of pethood, PetSmart is the partner of choice because of its knowledgeable associates, wide range of services and stocking customers' favorite brands – whether their kids have two legs or four, whether they have fur, scales or feathers.

"The 'PetSmart Partners in Pethood' campaign is based on the fact that just like with kids, pet parents want the best for their pets. They don't always know what they should be doing, but as their partner, we can help them through it all," said David Lenhardt, PetSmart President and CEO. "At PetSmart, we're every pet parent's partner, and we're here to share in the joy, here to help them find solutions and, ultimately, here to have fun with them during their journey through pethood."

PetSmart's new campaign launched on TV and through a fully-integrated campaign featured in five 2-minute mini-films online and carried through print, digital and social media.

What does pethood mean to you?

Our campaign, PetSmart Partners in Pethood, makes clear what pethood means to us – what does it mean to you? Pet parents everywhere are invited to share their own meaning of pethood through PetSmart's Pet Parenthood contest on Twitter, running Feb. 22 through March 8, 2015. Share your story with #PetSmartContest. Five winners will receive a $250 personalized pethood package to experience firsthand how PetSmart is your partner in pethood.

Follow along with more pethood stories on PetSmart's Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

About PetSmart

PetSmart, Inc. PETM is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we believe pets make us better people. That's why we create more moments for people to be inspired by pets. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 54,000 associates, operate approximately 1,387 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 201 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. 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 day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Through petsmart.com and pet360.com, we offer the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities® of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 400,000 homeless pets each year. In addition, PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich people's lives—we live it.

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