Home Retention
Pet retention is a critical part of the long-term solution for ending unnecessary euthanasia. PetSmart Charities supports programs that help people keep pets in their home by providing families with the resources, tools and instruction they need. This prevents them from contributing to pet overpopulation by abandoning their pet or giving it up for adoption.

Canine training for dogs at the SPCA of Fredericksburg, VA was made possible through a grant from PetSmart Charities. The program consisted mainly of clicker training to teach basic obedience commands. Gentle leaders were also used for many dogs that needed help learning how to walk properly while on a leash. The goals of this program were to enhance appeal of the dogs thereby resulting in faster adoptions as well as an  increase in the number of animals adopted annually.  In addition to pre-adoption training, new pet parents received a phone call from the canine trainer and an instruction sheet on continuing clicker training at home. These preventative steps helped to ensure no dogs re-entered the facility.