Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the relationship between PetSmart Charities, Inc. and PetSmart, Inc.?
• What is the relationship between PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada?
• Why should we care about pet overpopulation?
• What are the PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers?
• How do I adopt a pet through a PetSmart Charities Adoption Center?
• How much does an adoption cost?
• How do I make a donation?
• Is my donation tax-deductible? Will I get a receipt for my donation?
• Does my community benefit?
• Why should I give to PetSmart Charities instead of donating to a local animal welfare organization?
• What kind of organizations do you support with these donations?
• Will my donation support only limited admission shelters?
• Does PetSmart Inc. profit from my donation?

What is the relationship between PetSmart Charities, Inc. and PetSmart, Inc.?
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is a separate entity from PetSmart. PetSmart Charities was founded by PetSmart, and PetSmart, is one of our largest supporters. In 2006, PetSmart, Inc. donated more than $10.2 million in funds, space, supplies, and pet food for the Adoption Centers that are located inside all PetSmart stores. Together we have helped to place more than 3 million homeless pets into loving, forever homes.

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What is the relationship between PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada?

PetSmart Charities of Canada was established in 1999 as a registered charity in Canada.  It is a separate entity from both PetSmart Charities, Inc. and PetSmart, Inc.  The organization currently partners with more than 80 animal welfare agencies across Canada and has donated more than $1,206,797 since inception.  The staff of PetSmart Charities also provides administrative support to/for PetSmart Charities of Canada..

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Why should we care about pet overpopulation?

• Because as pet parents, we all want to make a difference in the lives of pets everywhere
• Because more than 4 million homeless pets are euthanized each year
• Because millions of our tax dollars are spent to care for lost and abandoned pets and to euthanize those who donÍt find homes
• Because of the public health safety threat of rabies, dog bites and cat scratches
• Because of the traffic accidents caused by roaming homeless pets
• Because of the livestock and other animals killed or injured by homeless pets that run wild in packs

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What are the PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers?
When PetSmart was founded, the company made a commitment not to sell dogs or cats in its stores. Instead, the company decided to focus on finding homeless pets new homes. Today, adoptions are facilitated through PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers inside each of the more than 928 PetSmart stores across the United States and Canada. Local animal welfare agencies bring pets to these Adoption Centers to match them with potential pet parents. This in-store space is provided at no cost to the animal welfare organizations.

PetSmart and PetSmart Charities work with local animal welfare agencies to offer the visibility and foot traffic of an in-store environment to help save the lives of homeless dogs,cats and other small mammals. In addition, PetSmart Charities offers five dollars in Adoption Rewards funding to adoption partners for each pet they adopt out of the Adoption Centers to help them offset their operational expenses. Currently there are more than 3,400 adoption partners across North America helping to find lifelong, loving homes for 1,000 homeless pets each day.

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How do I adopt a pet through a PetSmart Charities Adoption Center?
Once you've selected a pet you'd like to adopt, you'll complete an application, answer questions about your home and other pets, and possibly have your home visited by the shelter to help ensure a safe and happy home for your new pet. Click here to find out more about adoptions at PetSmart or visit your nearest PetSmart store today.

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How much does an adoption cost?
PetSmart does not charge its Adoption Partners a fee to use the Adoption Centers in its stores. However, the Adoption Partners do charge an adoption fee to help offset their costs. The fee varies among the animal welfare organizations. Each individual organization sets its own adoption fee and keeps 100 percent of it.

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How do I make a donation?
We are grateful for every donation we receive. There are several easy ways you can make a donation of any amount to PetSmart Charities. You can:

• Click here to make a donation online.
• Go to any PetSmart store and make a donation at the checkout or at the PetSmart Charities collection box. We accept any of the payment methods PetSmart normally accepts for product purchases.
• Make a donation over the phone by calling our toll-free number: 1-800-423-PETS
• Mail a donation to: PetSmart Charities 19601 N. 27th Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85027

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Is my donation tax-deductible? Will I get a receipt for my donation?
Yes, your donation is tax-deductible. Donations made at the store checkout will clearly indicate the amount of your donation on your register receipt. If you send your donation directly to PetSmart Charities you will receive a letter of receipt, which can be used for tax purposes. Donations to PetSmart Charities are tax-deductible in accordance with existing federal income tax regulations.

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Does my community benefit from my donation?
Yes. All donations raised within a state are subsequently granted out to animal welfare agencies in that state to benefit the local community. Donations received from customers typically help pets in their state in three ways:

• Grants — Financial support in the form of a grant is given to nonprofit animal welfare agencies, governmental animal control facilities and educational institutions. Grants provide funding for initiatives such as adoption programs, spay and neuter services, behavior training, identification programs and education outreach
• Adoption Rewards — This program allows participating adoption partners to earn funds for every pet adopted from a PetSmart Charities in-store Adoption Center
• Emergency Relief — PetSmart Charities provides emergency relief funding to qualified nonprofit animal welfare agencies in times of natural and manmade disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires and neglect and animal cruelty cases.
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Why should I give to PetSmart Charities instead of donating to a local animal welfare organization?
We encourage everyone to generously support their local animal welfare organizations. We ask that you also consider how a gift to PetSmart Charities can make a difference for many organizations in your local community, state and around the country. PetSmart Charities works closely with more than 3,400 groups in unique partnerships that focus on collaboration, education and innovation to improve the quality of life for all companion animals. We ensure that our funding only goes to registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or established government or tribal entities. Each organization is held accountable for the grant funding they receive and are required to provide a follow-up report to PetSmart Charities to verify that the funds were used as originally intended. Furthermore, PetSmart Charities is ranked with four out of a possible four stars by Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org), an independent charity website that documents and rates the fiscal responsibility of all nonprofits in the U.S. In 2005, 84 cents of every dollar donated to PetSmart Charities directly supported our programs and services.

We work diligently to make sure that our donors contributions are granted wisely to the animal welfare agencies with the best track records and the greatest potential to make a difference. Through our partnerships we are helping to create long-term solutions to bring an end to needless euthanasia and to find lifelong, loving homes for every pet.

Additionally, PetSmart Charities is able to respond to emergencies in ways that no other agency can. With the wide distribution of PetSmart stores, we can rapidly deploy relief to local agencies in the aftermath of both natural and manmade disasters.

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What kind of organizations do you support with these donations?
PetSmart Charities funds only qualified nonprofit animal welfare organizations. Click here for more information about our animal welfare partners and the grant application process.

An agency applying for grant funding must typically meet the following qualifications:

• Be a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, a Canadian registered charity, a municipal/tribal governmental entity or use a qualified fiscal agent See above
• Have at least one year’s worth of financial information.

Adoption partners must also comply with the Adoption Center policies and procedures designed to ensure the health, care and safety of pets, customers, volunteers and associates at all PetSmart stores.

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Will my donation support only limited admission shelters?
This is an important, complex issue. PetSmart Charities supports both full-service facilities that perform euthanasia as well as limited admission ones that don't. The limited admission facilities are able to ensure that every pet they take in will not be euthanized. However, because of this policy, they fill up quickly and must then decline pets. Consequently, the majority of the homeless pets end up at full-service facilities. Both full-service and limited admission facilities care about homeless pets and truly want to end euthanasia.

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Does PetSmart Inc. profit from my donation?
No, PetSmart does not profit from any donation to PetSmart Charities, which is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. In fact, in 2005 PetSmart donated more than $9.6 million in funds, space, supplies and pet food to the PetSmart Charities in-store Adoptions Centers in 2005. Our adoption partners keep 100 percent of their adoption fees and there is no cost to them to use the in-store Adoption Centers. This helps keep these animal welfare agencies financially viable and able to continue and further their missions.

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