Sept. 9, 2019 – Burlington, ON. — From backpacks and homework to fresh new sneakers, back-to-school season is here and one thing many parents and teachers may not think about are the many mental and physical benefits of having a pet in the home or classroom.
PetSmart Charities of Canada, the leading funder of animal welfare, advocates for the many benefits the human-animal relationship offers both children and adults. During PetSmart Charities of Canada’s National Adoption Weekend Sept. 13-15, potential adoptees are encouraged to consider how adopting a pet could benefit the entire family or even a classroom.
According to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), a non-profit industry research and education group, research demonstrates the positive influence pets have on a child’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development.
- Classroom petsimprove students’ attitudes toward school and have facilitated students learning lessons in responsibility, respect and empathy
- Scientificresearch has demonstrated the positive impact of early exposure to pets on the development of allergies and asthma later in life
- For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) the presence of companion animals improvedpositive social behaviors, including becoming more receptive to social advances from peers
“As a parent, I’ve seen the abundant benefits owning a pet can have on a child’s development both mentally and emotionally,” said Amanda Landis-Hanna, DVM, senior manager of veterinary outreach at PetSmart Charities. “Pets help teach children compassion, empathy and respect for all living things. They’ve also been shown to reduce stress levels, especially in children with special needs.”
PetSmart Charities is doing its part to strengthen this bond, providing grants supporting nearly 4,000 animal welfare organizations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to provide shelter, socialization and veterinary care to homeless pets to prepare them for adoption. PetSmart and its non-profit partner have worked together for 25 years to find loving homes for over 8.5 million pets and counting through its in-store adoption program during National Adoption Weekends held in Feb., May, Sept. and Nov., as well as every day at the PetSmart Charities of Canada’s Everyday Adoption Centres located in stores.
PetSmart Charities of Canada’s National Adoption Weekend Details:
September 13-15, hundreds of animal welfare organizations will bring a host of adoptable shelter pets, including dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, and various small pets, into nearly every PetSmart store across Canada.
Dates: Sept. 13 – 15, 2019
Times: Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. (local time), Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (local time)
Locations: Nearly every one of the 140 PetSmart stores across Canada, Visit petsmart.ca to find a store near you.
About PetSmart Charities® of Canada
PetSmart® Charities of Canada 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 Canada, PetSmart Charities of Canada helps to find forever homes and families for more than 30,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities of Canada also provides grant funding to registered Canadian charities aligned with its mission. Each year, more than 500,000 generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities of Canada using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities of Canada efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as a leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, granting more than $19 million since its inception in 1999. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity, a member of Imagine Canada and is independent from the PetSmart business in Canada. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.ca
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
See PetSmart Canada & PetSmart Charities of Canada on Instagram:www.instagram.com/PetSmartCanada
Find PetSmart Canada & PetSmart Charities of Canada on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc
About PetSmart®
In Canada, PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart's passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. PetSmart employs approximately 4,800 associates and operates more than 140 pet stores in Canada, as well as eight in-store PetSmart PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. The retailer provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding at PetSmart Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart and PetSmart Charities® of Canada work with more than 200 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 295,000 adoptions, more than any other brick-and-mortar organization.
Find PetSmart on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart on Instagram:@PetSmartCanada
Follow PetSmart on Twitter:@PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube:www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
PetSmart homepage:http://www.petsmart.ca
PetSmart Charities of Canada Contact:
Stephan Petar
Golin for PetSmart Charities of Canada
647.475.4497
spetar@golin.com
PetSmart 24-Hour Media Line: 623-587-2177
