ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--St. Louis Children’s Hospital is teaming up with PetSmart to help fund the hospital’s pet therapy program that will provide thousands of patients with access to canine comfort teams. PetSmart Paws for Hope at St. Louis Children’s Hospital kicks off today. PetSmart will fund the program at a commitment of $250,000 over five years.
“At PetSmart, we know the power of pets and their ability to help patients heal,” said David Lenhardt, president and chief executive officer of PetSmart. “Partnerships, like this one with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, make a world of difference to the sick children. I look forward to seeing them expand their pet therapy teams to positively impact even more young lives.”
Support from PetSmart will allow St. Louis Children’s Hospital to grow their Therapy of Unique Canine Helpers (TOUCH) Dog Program to double the number of dogs participating and hire a part-time coordinator to oversee the program.
“We are grateful for the incredible generosity from PetSmart, which enables us to significantly enhance our TOUCH Dog Program,” said Joan Magruder, St. Louis Children’s Hospital president. “This partnership is a great example of what happens when members of the community band together to make a difference in the lives of sick children.”
This is the fifth national partnership of its kind between PetSmart and a hospital pet therapy program; existing programs include Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health, Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and SickKids Hospital Toronto.
In 2012, PetSmart teamed up with Phoenix Children's Hospital to sponsor their first animal-assisted therapy program, PetSmart Paws Can Heal. The initial launch was such a success that PetSmart expanded the program to hospitals throughout the country with PetSmart Paws for Hope, with expansion to Orlando Health earlier this year. The program creates additional pet therapy teams in hospitals and allows for more daily visits from a therapy animal for each patient. Additionally, the program provides support for the patients and their families. PetSmart plans to expand this program into at least three new hospitals across the country every year, with Children’s Medical Center, Dallas kicking off later this year.
About St. Louis Children’s Hospital
St. Louis Children's Hospital has provided specialized care for children for more than 130 years. US News & World Report consistently ranks St. Louis Children's among the nation's best children's hospitals. In 2010 the hospital received the Magnet re-designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation. The hospital is a member of BJC HealthCare. For more information, visit www.StLouisChildrens.org, or visit us @STLChildrens on Facebook and Twitter.
About PetSmart
PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company employs approximately 53,000 associates and operates approximately 1,352 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, 200 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 CampSM day care services and pet adoption services. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities® of Canada, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 5.7 million pets since 1994. PetSmart Charities, Inc. and PetSmart Charities of Canada (collectively “PetSmart Charities”) are independent, nonprofit organizations that save the lives of homeless pets and reduce shelter intake through spay and neuter efforts. In 2013, nearly 440,000 dogs and cats found homes through PetSmart Charities’ adoption centers in all PetSmart stores and by sponsoring community adoption events. PetSmart Charities is the leader in granting money to help pets in need, with more than $34 million given in 2013 throughout North America.
