BUSINESS - Petland Inc. Launches Petland Charities

Petland Inc. recently announced the launch of Petland Charities, a 501c3 organization that will raise funds for shelters and K9 units in the US.

Petland will invite customers to make donations to local shelter or K9 units throughout the year and Petland Charities will match customer donations up to $3,000 per store per year.

Petland Charities and the campaigns to raise funds for local shelters and K9 units will be introduced to the corporate stores in phases.

The first campaign launched May 1st with participating stores in Cicero, NY; Athens, OH; Chillicothe, OH; Dayton, OH; Gallipolis, OH; Grove City, OH; Heath, OH; Hilliard, OH; Lancaster, OH; Washington Court House; OH; and Monroeville, PA.

"We want to give these non-profits as much help as possible," said Edwin Sayres, executive director for Petland Charities. "All money raised from these campaigns will stay in these communities, ensuring local organizations receive the funds they need."

Petland will continue other corporate charitable giving, including promoting the adoption of homeless pets, granting children's pet-related wishes via the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, donating to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital®, paying for the training of service dogs for disabled veterans, donating food to K9 units and providing grants to teachers to purchase pets and pet supplies for the classroom.

"Petland has been giving back since the company was founded, so Petland Charities is simply an extension of our current efforts," Joe Watson, president and CEO of Petland, Inc. said.

"We take our role in the community very seriously and are excited to see the positive impact this new endeavor will have."

If your organization is interested in being considered for a charitable donation or you want more information, visit the Petland website.

North of the border, Petland Charities Canada has been supporting local communities and organizations, including flood relief, dog parks and more, for several years.

PetLand Charities donates $7,500 to Calgary dog park

PetLand Charities of Canada presented the City of Calgary with a cheque for more than $7,500 for the restoration of the Sue Higgins Park which was (and still is) affected by the Calgary Floods. 

In store fundraisers, donations and volunteer clean-ups have contributed to the park's clean up. Parts of the park are still closed and a planned Improvement Project was delayed after the floods last June. 

Sue Higgins Park is a 62-hectare greenspace in Calgary's southeast that offers pathways, hiking trails, a large off-leash area and much more. The mission of the Improvement Project is to enhance the park's natural environment and provide quality and compatible recreational activities by addressing the interests of the key park user groups, including off-leash, regional pathway users and nature enthusiasts. 

This project complies with the City's goals of integrating recreational areas with pet-friendly areas, an initiative presented to Urban Animal subscribers at the Prairie Regional Conference and the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. 

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Petland Charities pitches in to clean up Sue Higgins dog park

Petland Charities and the City of Calgary are partnering to mobilize a clean-up effort of Sue Higgins Dog Park which was affected by flooding in Calgary in June.

Park clean-up is scheduled for Tuesday, August 20 when pre-registered volunteers will assist in cleaning up debris, repairing fences and bringing the popular park back to Calgarian dog owners. Over 90 per cent of the fences in the park were damaged and roughly 70 per cent were destroyed. Presently, only portions of the park have reopened to the public. 

Justin Brown, superintendent of parks for the City of Calgary, told the Calgary Herald the park was significantly damaged by the flood waters. 

"The entire park was actually under water during high water mark,"he said. "We'll be down here all year, that's for sure."  

In conjunction with the volunteer clean-up, Petland stores in Calgary also hosted an in-store fundraising campaign earlier this month. A sticker campaign and Greenies (Mars PetCare) brand donations raised funds for Petland Charities which provided money to help clean up the dog park. 

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Petland Canada responds to Alberta Floods

Petland Charities announced last week it would match cash donations to the Calgary Interfaith Food Bank up to $5,000 as well as contribute one pail of Here Kitty Litter for each one donated. 

Yesterday, Petland reported raising $6,520 in cash donations. Including Petland's match commitment, the total raised for the Calgary food bank is $11,520. In addition, Nutro donated 1,163 bags of food, Nutrience donated 338 bags of food, Bollea Logistics donated their time, a truck and a  pallet of water. 

Petland will continue collecting donations until July 8. 

Thanks to Amy Pawson, Calgary, Alberta, Canada for passing this clip along. If you find something the industry needs to see pass it to contactus@urbananimal.com