PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In many parts of the country, this month marks the start of school, which has families shopping for essentials like rulers, pencils, school shoes, clothes and more. Firm believers in celebrating life’s moments with pets, PetSmart, the leading pet specialty retailer in North America, aims to ensure pets enjoy the excitement of the season too with its very first Back-to-School Collection, available in all 1,500-plus PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Canada and online at petsmart.com and petsmart.ca.
“We know families enjoy including their pets in holidays, birthdays and celebrations and the excitement of the back-to-school season is no exception,” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “We’ve seen great success with festive seasonal product collections and feel strongly pet parents will enjoy including their pets in the thrill of the first day of school, too. I mean, what pup wouldn’t enjoy a bright yellow school bus bed, big plush calculator or a squeaky carton of milk toy?”
Smart Toys – Just as children’s backpacks are stuffed with sharp new pencils, composition books and calculators, dogs’ toy bins can be filled with dog-friendly versions of these classic back-to-school supplies. Nothing says back to school more than a bespectacled worm flattie donning a graduation cap, while cute toys shaped like pencils and nerdy-face apples with crinkle fill provide hours of fun for pups. Iconic school essentials like vinyl cartons of milk and plush calculator complete with squeakers are sure to provide photo ops worthy of social media sharing.
Stylish Apparel – Ever consider including your dogs in the classic event -- school picture day? This PetSmart collection has the goods to get pups photo-ready. The Top Paw® Denim Heart Dog Tee mirrors what can be found on the racks of children’s clothing stores. With its pink and white stripes and mock-stitching, it’s cute enough to challenge the kids in a “who wore it best” contest. Dapper dogs are sure to turn heads with the Denim and Plaid Tie Combo tee. Made of lightweight, breathable fabric, the tee easily slips on and off making it as comfortable as it is cute. Finally, the Ruffle Denim Dog Dress, complete with plaid pockets and subtle gray stripes is ideal for the preppy pup on the prowl.
Back-to-School Bedding – The start of the school year means early mornings with children boarding busses bound for school. At-home pups can wait for their human family members to arrive home in their very own School Bus Cuddler Bed. This bed features an easy step-in design, soft walls and dark grey chambray-like lining. Toss in an adorable rainbow pet pillow to create a playful, cozy space for pets.
Classroom Pets + Learning = Big Fun
PetSmart is proud to be
a returning sponsor of the Pets
in the Classroom Grant Program, which provides grants to
pre-kindergarten through 9th grade teachers in both private and public
schools to purchase and maintain small animals in the classroom. Having
pets in the classroom not only provides excitement, they help teach
students responsible, long-term pet care at an early age. Grants
are now being accepted for the 2017-2018 school year. For more
information on the Pets in the Classroom grant program, visit www.PetsintheClassroom.org.
Education & Entertainment: Upcoming In-Store Family Events
Small
Pets Show & Tell Event
Aug. 12
12 - 3 p.m. –
local time
Bring the kids to meet the specialty pets of PetSmart!
Kids can visit any participating PetSmart store to take part in hands-on
experience with the specialty pets of the store including fish, hamsters
and reptiles. Kids can also make their own tank with aquarium sticker
sheets, while learning about the basics of fish care.
Tailgating Event
Sept. 23
12
– 2 p.m. – local time
Bring pups and your team spirit to one of our
hottest in-store events of the season. Your pup can enjoy free treat
samples and free chalking of favorite collegiate and professional team’s
colors or a football Pet Expressions* stencil application. Pets who come
dressed in their team’s favorite colors can also receive a $5 off coupon
for their next pet sports apparel purchase.
About PetSmart®
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. We employ approximately 55,000 associates, operate more
than 1,500 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as
well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding
facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet
food and products, as well as pet-focused services such as dog training,
pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart® Doggie Day Camp® and pet adoption.
PetSmart, together with non-profits PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart
Charities™ of Canada, invite more than 3,000 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 7.4 million adoptions – more than any other brick-and-mortar
organization. The company’s portfolio of digital resources for pet
parents includes PetSmart.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, petMD.com,
Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that helps
potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their home,
family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world’s first pet blogger
and influencer network. Through these digital platforms, PetSmart offers
the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in
the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart launched its
Buy a Bag, Give a Meal™ program in March 2017. For every bag of cat or
dog food purchased March 1 – Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will donate a meal
to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million meals in
2017**. In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online
retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an
independent subsidiary.
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmart
See
PetSmart on Instagram: @PetSmart
Follow
PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
See
PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
* Excludes NFL, NCAA & MLB licensed Pet Expressions. Chalking and stenciling not available in SC, Boulder, CO & select cities in CA.
**Ends 12/31/17. 5 oz. dog food, 1.5 oz. cat food donated to PetSmart Charities to feed dogs and cats in need. See details at petsmart.com/giveameal. The actual number of meals donated is based on dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet food donation in the U.S.
