PetSmart Charities(TM) of Canada Announces New Strategic Grant-Making Focus Supporting Expanded Mission to Connect Pets and People

BURLINGTON, ON--(Marketwired - November 15, 2016) - Today, PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, one of the nation's leading funders of animal welfare, announced a new focus on strategic grant-making and unveiled an expanded mission, allowing it to reach beyond its core mission to end pet homelessness to include funding programs that connect people and pets. With ten grant categories created under the new mission, the registered charity will now support initiatives such as service animal or pet therapy training programs and help at-risk families with pets during times of transition to make an even greater impact on the lives of people and pets across Canada.

"Our newly expanded mission at PetSmart Charities of Canada is to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together," said Dr. David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities in the U.S. and PetSmart Charities of Canada. "This enhanced mission allows us to support animal welfare organizations in more ways than ever before, while reaching out to new charities that help to connect people and pets. In addition to our ongoing support of shelters, pet adoption, emergency relief and spay/neuter efforts, the new grant categories will help people to enhance their lives through pets."

PetSmart Charities of Canada has also introduced an enhanced online application process for eligible charities. The expanded list of ten grant categories falls under the charity's four strategic areas of focus.

#1: Preventing Pet Homelessness

To help decrease the number of pets entering shelters, PetSmart Charities of Canada now offers two grant categories to support programs and initiatives that proactively prevent pet homelessness. Grant categories for consideration include:

• Spay/neuter: Preventing unplanned litters through targeted spay/neuter programs and clinic development; free or low-cost spay/neuter surgeries; trap-neuter-return (TNR) efforts; as well as veterinary school initiatives.
• Intake diversion*: Keeping pets from entering shelters by making wellness clinics, as well as behavioral training and education more accessible.
• Keeping pets and families together*: Creating resources for families that are or may experience domestic violence, homelessness and/or Military leave and can no longer accommodate or require assistance accommodating their pet.

#2: Helping Shelter Pets Thrive

An estimated 125,000 Canadian pets enter shelters every year and more than 30%of those healthy, adoptable pets never find homes, facing euthanasia due to lack of capacity. By supporting organizations that provide resources, build capacity to care for homeless pets and focus on adoption, PetSmart Charities of Canada expects to enhance pets' lives in shelters and help them find their forever home. Grant categories for consideration include:

• Shelter management*: Supporting best practices in areas such as mentoring, disease control and strengthening shelter infrastructure.
• Pet transport*: Supporting organizations that relocate adoptable pets to areas where the demand for pet adoption is high so they will have the best chance possible at finding their forever family.
• Conferences and training: Funding enrichment programs and workshops for those working for and volunteering within the animal welfare industry.

#3: Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets

While PetSmart Charities of Canada always celebrates how people save pets' lives through adoption, there are inspiring stories of how pets can save people, too. By supporting organizations that bring people and pets together to leverage the power of pets to enhance the human spirit, PetSmart Charities of Canada ultimately aims to end pet homelessness and drive awareness of the benefits of pet ownership. Grant categories for consideration include:

• Adoptions: Partnering with local animal welfare organizations to connect people with adoptable pets everyday at PetSmart stores or and at PetSmart Charities' signature events, including National Adoption Weekends which are held four times a year.
• Capacity building*: Assisting with the construction, rebuilding or remodeling of animal welfare organization facilities that fulfill the needs of homeless pets.
• Enhancing the quality of life through pets*: Supporting programs that train pets to become service animals for military veterans or people with disabilities and for pet therapy programs in hospitals, schools, senior homes or with at-risk populations.

#4: Providing Emergency Relief

In the event of natural disasters such as the Calgary floods of 2013 or the Fort McMurray wildfires of 2016 and in the case of man-made disasters too, the role of local animal welfare organizations has been critical to providing immediate support in times of need. Temporary shelter, pet supplies and medical care are just some of the immediate needs of misplaced or abandoned pets. Since 2007, PetSmart Charities of Canada assisted more than 9,000 pets through emergency relief efforts. Grant categories for emergency relief include:

• Emergency relief and disaster response: Providing assistance in the event of a natural or man-made disaster during the rescue, relief and/or recovery stages.

Four of the ten grant categories are now open for applications, while the remaining grant cycles will be announced in Feb. 2017.

As a leading Canadian charity established in 1999 and dedicated to helping pets in need, PetSmart Charities of Canada, has contributed more than $9.9 million to date to directly help pets. Together with the support of PetSmart® and its generous shoppers who donate at the pin pad, PetSmart Charities of Canada expects to donate an estimated $1 million in 2016 alone. With the help of hundreds of local animal welfare partners who bring adoptable pets to PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of Canada has helped more than 220,000 pets find forever homes. For more information on how to make a donation to PetSmart Charities of Canada or how eligible animal welfare organization may apply for a grant**, please visit PetSmartCharities.ca.

*Grant cycles will be announced Feb. 2017

**Must provide documentation verifying status as a registered charity in Canada.

About PetSmart Charities of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Our mission is to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. 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 with a funding focus on adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation, and providing emergency relief to pets and pet parents affected by natural or man-made disasters. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity, independent from PetSmart.