Five Reasons to Adopt a Four-Legged Family Member Well Before the Holiday Season

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - November 02, 2016) - Pets often rise to the top of the holiday gift lists for children and grown-ups alike and many families across Canada will get a new puppy or kitten for Christmas, yet experts from the PetSmart Charities'® say adopting a four-legged friend before the hectic holiday season could help ensure a more successful pet transition and enriching holiday celebration with the new family member.

"From school concerts and social engagements to holiday shopping and overnight stays from out-of-town guests, the holidays make our lives and our homes more active than usual," said Steve Kaufman, a certified animal welfare administrator and centre of excellence manager, adoptions for PetSmart Charities. "If a new pet is on your family's wish list, adopting before the holiday season will allow pet parents to develop a routine with their pet ahead of the holiday rush, making the transition easier for your family and your pet."

Together with PetSmart Charities of Canada and hundreds of animal welfare organizations across the country, PetSmart, The Adopt Spot™, has helped find forever homes for more than 220,000 Canadian pets since the in-store adoption program began in the late '90s.

Leading up to PetSmart Charities of Canada's National Adoption Weekend on Nov. 11-13, the pet adoption leader offers five reasons to adopt a pet before the holiday season officially hits:

5. You'll be a holiday hero before you've even started shopping. Now that you've knocked off one of the most wanted items on your family's holiday gift list by adopting a new pet, the rest of your holiday shopping will be a breeze.

4. You'll have more time to transition your pet. It's important when transitioning a new pet into your home to spend as much time with them as possible. By adopting prior to the holidays, your pet will get focused attention and will already be feeling right at home before the busy holiday season begins.

3. You can involve your new four-legged family member in all the cherished holiday traditions. Pets enrich our lives. Including a pet in special family events and holiday traditions like festive dinners, opening stockings, sniffing and shaking gifts under the tree, caroling or going for snowy walks after dinner can bring even more joy to your family, not to mention increasing the cuteness factor of holiday photos.

2. You can get a head start on your New Year's resolutions! The over-abundance of baked goods, lavish family meals and dinner parties during the holidays makes us all worry about our increased calorie intake. Playing hide and seek with a kitten around the house or taking a dog for a walk can help pet parents and kids develop healthy habits ahead of New Year's resolutions while bonding with your new pet.

1. Because you understand that thousands of pets need a forever home right now. Thousands of healthy, loving, adoptable pets are currently in shelters across the country. By adopting one from PetSmart, The Adopt Spot, you'll be giving the ultimate gift of saving a life! Visit your nearest PetSmart store from Nov. 11-13 for PetSmart Charities of Canada's National Adoption Weekend.

"While it's fun to imagine your loved ones opening up a carefully wrapped box with a pet inside, the adopted pet may have a hard time adjusting to his or her new home during the most wonderful, yet hectic, time of year," said David Haworth, D.V.M., Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada. "Adopting ahead of the holidays gives families an opportunity to spend quality time with their new pet, transition them into their forever home, and involve them in the festive spirit of the season."

"There are so many great reasons to adopt a pet before the holidays, but the best reason by far is that you'll be giving a pet in need the home and the family they deserve," said John DeFranco, President of PetSmart Canada and Chair of the Board of Directors at PetSmart Charities of Canada. "Come and expand your family at PetSmart Charities of Canada's November National Adoption Weekend."

What: PetSmart Charities of Canada's National Adoption Weekend
Where: PetSmart stores across Canada
When: Fri., Nov. 11 and Sat., Nov. 12, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 13, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Contact: Find the PetSmart store near you at PetSmart.com or call 1-877-473-8762.
Share: Show us your adopted pet using the hashtags #iadopted or #adoptlove on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

A Gift for Those that Adopt:

Every day a PetSmart store is open in Canada, the lives of 60 pets are saved through adoption. As a gift to those that give the gift of adoption, PetSmart offers its free Adoption Kit, which provides important content on how to integrate a pet into the family and true value -- with more than $400 in real savings -- to the adoption parent. Included are coupons for a free bag of dog or cat food from Simply Nourish™, Authority® or Good Natured™, half off on a grooming service, a complimentary private training session with an accredited trainer, a free Doggie Day Camp session and a free overnight boarding stay. Also included are savings on all the essentials for a new pet including beds, crates, gates, brushes, feeding bowls, collars, leashes, toys and treats, as well as solutions like pet calming products and stain and odor remedies for any mishaps that may occur.

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 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 3,800 associates and operate 117 pet stores across Canada with 7 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, and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents -- including PetSmart.ca, Pet360.com and petMD.com -- offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in North America. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities of Canada, PetSmart® has helped save the lives of more than 220,000 pets since 1999.

Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada

PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Each year more than 20,000 cats and dogs find Canadian homes through our adoption program in nearly all PetSmart stores across Canada and our sponsored adoption events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada has granted more than $9.9 million to help pets in need by funding adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation and providing emergency relief for pets and pet parents affected by natural and man-made disasters. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered charity, independent from PetSmart.

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