PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin'® Program
NEWS FLASH: 50,000 Dogs - and Counting - Saved by PetSmart Charities®' Rescue Waggin'® Program - Learn More
Our PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin’® program saves lives by relocating adoptable dogs and puppies from overcrowded shelters to destination shelters where they are in demand.
Help us keep saving the lives of homeless pets, donate today to support the PetSmart Charities Rescue Waggin' program.
Rescue Waggin’ Program Fast Facts
- Our Rescue Waggin' program has helped save the lives of more than 50,000 dogs since we began operations in 2004
- We currently operate our Rescue Waggin’ program in the East Coast, Midwest, Great Plains and South Central regions of the U.S.
Each year, we give thousands of dogs and puppies – who otherwise would be euthanized at shelters that have run out of space and resources – the rides of their lives.
Our Rescue Waggin’ program is comprised of three parts:
- A pet transport program: We relocate dogs and puppies from areas of high homeless-pet overpopulation (where they face almost certain euthanasia) to shelters in areas where adoptable dogs are in demand. This program operates under professionally-developed industry standards for originating and receiving shelters, spay/neuter and animal health practices and humane transport.
- Capacity-building grants: This funding helps expand local spay and neuter services for dogs and cats and improve shelter facilities, operations and adoptions for agencies that send dogs and puppies on the transport vehicles.
- Funding and professional consultation: This support helps improve shelter facilities and operations for participating animal-welfare agencies.
Rescue Waggin’ Program Happy Endings
Madelyn - Madelyn, a three-year-old beagle, had been hanging around a neighborhood in Chattanooga, Tennessee, looking hungry and lost.
Dawn - The 50,000th Dog to Ride a PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin'® Vehicle - Offered as a “gift,” her family relinquished her after less than six months, Dawn goes on to be celebrated as the 50,000th dog transported on a PetSmart Charities® Rescue Waggin'® vehicle.
Charley - When Charley stepped off the Rescue Waggin'® vehicle at the Bay Area Humane Society (BAHS) in Green Bay, Wisconsin, staff members noticed that he limped. Once the vets checked him, they discovered that Charley needed surgery on his hips.
Read more Rescue Waggin’ program stories of dogs who have taken rides on the Rescue Waggin’ vehicles.
