Petco holds adoption reunion to help animals

Sadly, only 10-20 percent of US pets are adopted from shelters and rescues. The number of adoptions compared to the 5-7 million cats and dogs entering shelters each year leaves several million still in need of a home. To put a spotlight on pet adoption and the urgent need for volunteers, Petco and Unleashed by Petco will celebrate the company’s anniversary with a “National Adoption Reunion” Oct. 8-9. Reunion and adoption events will be hosted at every Petco store for families who have adopted through the 7,000 animal welfare groups that partner with the Petco Foundation, the retailer’s nonprofit organization that has helped find homes for over 3 million pets.

September 27, 2011 7:55 pm

Sadly, only 10-20 percent of US pets are adopted from shelters and rescues. The number of adoptions compared to the 5-7 million cats and dogs entering shelters each year leaves several million still in need of a home.

To put a spotlight on pet adoption and the urgent need for volunteers, Petco and Unleashed by Petco will celebrate the company’s anniversary with a “National Adoption Reunion” Oct. 8-9. Reunion and adoption events will be hosted at every Petco store for families who have adopted through the 7,000 animal welfare groups that partner with the Petco Foundation, the retailer’s nonprofit organization that has helped find homes for over 3 million pets.

“Petco has always been a strong advocate of pet adoption and the anniversary events are really meant to reinforce the human-animal bond that is so important to us,” says Greg Seremetis, Vice President of Marketing for Petco. “We hope that by creating a national community of adoption supporters and sharing their touching personal stories, we will inspire others to consider pet adoption and volunteer, ultimately finding homes for the millions of shelter animals.”

To kick off the National Adoption Reunion weekend celebrations, on Oct. 4 Petco will attempt to set the Guinness World Record for “Largest Gathering of Adopted Shelter Animals” in Central Park. In addition to the in-store reunions, Petco is offering several ways to participate, share pet adoption stories, volunteer, and most importantly, help save a life:

Upload photos

By uploading photos and videos of adopted pets to www.petco.com/reunion, participants will inspire others to adopt as well as have a chance to have their pet featured in an upcoming Petco advertising campaign. For every person who uploads their story online, Petco will donate $1 to pet adoption organizations across the country. Additionally, participants can win a variety of other prizes such as Sony products and Petco gift cards and other pet-related goodies Sept. 1 – Oct. 31.

Lend a Hand

One of the most requested means of support from animal welfare groups is volunteer support. Petco has partnered with VolunteerMatch for the new PETCO C.A.R.E.S. program to connect people with volunteer opportunities at more than 73,000 non-profit organizations. Search local volunteer opportunities and donate time to local pet adoption organizations by visiting the www.petco.com/reunion homepage.

Social “Pet” Working: Simply check-in via Facebook at any Petco location during the National Adoption Reunion October 8-9 and Petco will donate $1 to pet adoption organizations across the country.

Adoption

Attend an adoption celebration at one of the 1,100 stores nationwide and adopt a new member of the family.

Bellevue’s Petcos are located at 15600 NE 8th Street Suite 1 (425-641-9333) and 4080 Factoria Boulevard SE (425-641-5203)