November 02, 2010 15:05 ET

The PetSmart Charities® Holiday National Adoption Weekend Is This Nov. 12-14

Expanded Parking Lot Events at 34 PetSmart® Stores Nationwide Will Help Save 18,200 Pets' Lives

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwire - November 2, 2010) -  You can save a life this holiday season by adopting a pet during the PetSmart Charities Holiday National Adoption Weekend. The three-day event runs Friday, November 12 through Sunday, November 14 at all 1,164 PetSmart® stores in the United States and Canada, with expanded parking lot events to showcase even more pets in 34 stores across the U.S.

Proudly sponsored by PetSmart^®, the event goal is to find lifelong, loving homes for 18,200 pets from more than 2,000 participating shelters and rescue agencies in North America. 

Nonprofit PetSmart Charities is the largest funder of animal-welfare efforts in North America and a strong advocate for pet adoption.

"About 8 million dogs and cats enter animal shelters in the U.S. each year, and about half must be euthanized," said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. "Adoption is one very important way to reduce the number of pets who must be put down every year in our nation's shelters. This adoption event helps give those pets even more exposure to people who love pets so they can get the second chances they deserve."

Since being founded in 1994, PetSmart Charities has led pet-adoption efforts across North America:

• During fiscal year 2009, a record 409,613 pets found homes at the PetSmart Charities adoption centers, which are located inside every PetSmart^® store.

• Since 1994, more than 4.3 million pets have been adopted at PetSmart Charities' adoption centers in North America. PetSmart Charities celebrated its 4-millionth adoption in January.

• One pet's life is saved every minute that the PetSmart Charities' adoption centers are open.

• PetSmart Charities now provides more than $10 million a year in adoption-reward grants to the thousands of animal-welfare agencies it collaborates with through the in-store adoption program.

During the Holiday National Adoption Weekend, cat and dog adopters will receive free samples from PetSmart^®. In addition, PetSmart Charities will provide increased adoption-reward grants to all participating shelters and rescue agencies; in fact, all agencies will receive $35 from PetSmart Charities for every pet they adopt into a lifelong, loving home in stores between November 8 and November 14.

How to Adopt

Visit the PetSmart Charities' adoption center inside any PetSmart^® store in the U.S. or Canada from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, November 14. Participating animal-welfare groups manage adoptions and determine their own pet-adoption fees and adoption guidelines. Call a PetSmart^® store near you to find out about a specific agency's set-up time during the three-day event.

To find the PetSmart Charities' adoption center nearest you, visit www.PetSmartCharities.org/adoption or call 1-877-473-8762. To learn about the many ways that PetSmart Charities is saving the lives of homeless pets, visit www.PetSmartCharities.org.

Expanded parking lot event locations:

Address		City, State		Lead Agency
1561 N. Dysart Rd.		Avondale, Ariz.		Arizona Small Dog Rescue
277 N. Walker Rd.		Prescott, Ariz.		Miss Kitty's Cat House
730 S. Sepulveda Blvd.		El Segundo, Calif.		Marley's Pit Stop
5601 Ramon Road East		Palm Springs, Calif.		Tender Loving Critters Animal Rescue
1390 N. DuPont Hwy.		Dover, Del.		SPCA for Kent County
3736 SW Archer Rd.		Gainesville, Fla.		Animal People
6248 Commerce Palms Dr.		Tampa, Fla.		Cat Crusaders
5001 Sergeant Road #150		Sioux City, Iowa		Noah's Hope Animal Rescue
4975 Cal Sag Rd.		Crestwood, Ill.		Dazzles Painted Pastures Animal Rescue-Sanctuary
2017 N. Prospect Avenue		Champaign, Ill.		Champaign Area Trap Neuter and Adoption Program (CATSNAP)
3183 S. Veterans Pkwy.		Springfield, Ill.		Feline Ranch
2861 Veterans Memorial Pkwy.		Saint Charles, Mo.		All Paws Rescue Inc
262 THF Blvd.		Chesterfield, Mo.		Open Door Animal Sanctuary
2242 Highway K		O'Fallon, Mo.		Heartland Humane Society
4451 Lemay Ferry Rd.		South County, Mo.		St. Francois Society
62 Brentwood Promenade Ct.		St. Louis, Mo.		Dent County Animal Welfare
131 Highland Boulevard Dr.		Manchester, Mo.		Coalition For Animal Rescue & Education
355 Howe Ave.		Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio		Paws & Prayers
10117 E 71st St.		Tulsa, Okla.		Pet Adoption League
9002 N. 121st East Ave Ste. 20		Owasso, Okla.		Zois Animal Rescue
8825 SW Cascade Ave.		Beaverton, Ore.		All Terrier Rescue
327 Washington Rd.		Washington, Pa.		Pet Search
RR 6 Box 214		Greensburg, Pa.		Pet Friends
1301 Oak Forest Lane		Myrtle Beach, S.C.		Humane Society of North Myrtle Beach
2784 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.		Clarksville, Tenn.		Companion Pet Rescue
635 Vann Dr.		Jackson, Tenn.		West Tennessee Animal Rescue
4642 Lebanon Pike		Hermitage, Tenn.		Hopes Haven
7941 Winchester Road.		Memphis, Tenn.		Save 1 Pet
1038 Crossings Blvd.		Spring Hill, Tenn.		Russell Rescue
4800 SW Loop 820		Fort Worth, Texas		City of Fort Worth Animal Control
8520 Fourwinds Dr.		San Antonio, Texas		Alamo Area Partners for Animal Welfare
119  SW  Loop 410,  Bldg 3		San Antonio, Texas		Animal Welfare Society of Bandera
2309 W. I-20		Grand Prairie, Texas		Shelter 2 Rescue Coalition
585 Morrison Road		Brownsville, Texas		Brownsville PAWS

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 $110 million in grants and programs benefiting animal-welfare organizations and, through its in-store adoption program, helped save the lives of more than 4.3 million pets. 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.