Adopting a Pet during Heart Month Won't Just Warm

BURLINGTON, ON --(Marketwired - February 06, 2017) - It's well known that adopting a pet and saving a life will warm the heart, but now scientific evidence is showing that owning a pet could help ward off heart disease, too.

During Heart Month in Canada, PetSmart and PetSmart Charities of Canada are celebrating the heart-warming and heart-protecting reasons to adopt a pet during their first National Adoption Weekend event of the year. Taking place in nearly every PetSmart store across Canada from Feb. 17 - 19, National Adoption Weekends feature the widest array of adoptable pets and there's no shortage of great reasons to bring one home.

Mounting Evidence for the Heart-Protecting Power of Pets The heart-protecting benefits of pet parenthood gained international media attention after a 2013 statement by the American Heart Association (AHA) noted, "numerous studies have explored the relationship between pet (primarily dog or cat) ownership and cardiovascular disease, with many reporting beneficial effects." Just a few of these heart-healthy benefits seen in pet parents include: increased physical activity, lower cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, as well as improved survival rates following a cardiac event.

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), a non-profit organization dedicated to gathering, funding and sharing research on positive health impacts of companion animals, further supports the healing power of pets. In a 2014 survey of 1,000 physicians , HABRI found that 60 percent of doctors recommend a pet as part of a patient's treatment plan, while 88 percent reported that they've seen a patient's physical condition improve as a result of human-animal interaction.

"It's reasonably well understood that adopting a pet literally saves a companion animal's life, but it's a lesser known fact that pets can have a tremendous impact on the health and well-being of the pet parent," said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., the chair of HABRI's research working group and president of PetSmart Charities of Canada. "Through a growing body of scientific research, we know that pet ownership can not only warm our heart, but its cardiovascular benefits can also help to protect it. During Heart Month in Canada and our first National Adoption Weekend of the year, we are giving potential pet parents even more compelling reasons to consider adopting a pet."

The Heart-Warming Reasons for Pet Adoption Remain Strong Pet homelessness remains a serious issue across Canada. There are tens of thousands of healthy, adorable and adoptable pets currently in shelters and rescue facilities just waiting for a lifelong, loving home. Feb. 17 - 19, tens of thousands of adoptable pets will be looking for their forever families during PetSmart Charities of Canada's signature National Adoption Weekend events hosted at nearly every PetSmart store across Canada.

From dogs and cats to rabbits, chinchillas, ferrets and more, PetSmart Charities of Canada's National Adoption Weekend invites more than 300 animal welfare organizations to bring a wide array of adoptable pets to nearly all 120-plus PetSmart stores to help match them with potential pet parents.

PetSmart, The Adopt Spot, is the leading brick-and-mortar resource for pet adoption across North America with more than 7.2 million pets adopted out of its stores since it began its in-store adoption program in the late 1980s. Across Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart teams up with more than 3,000 adoption partners who bring adoptable pets to stores to find their forever homes. For every 30 seconds a PetSmart store is open, a pet's life is saved.

PetSmart Charities of Canada's February National Adoption Weekend

Date: Feb. 17 - 19, 2017

Time: Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Location: Nearly every PetSmart store across Canada. Visit www.petsmart.ca to find the store nearest you.

A Free Gift for Those Who Adopt No matter which heart-related reason inspired a pet parent to adopt, nor where they chose to adopt from, PetSmart offers a free Adoption Kit*, providing important content on how to integrate a new pet into the family and true value -- more than $400 in free items and discounts on pet essentials and services. Included are coupons for a free bag of dog or cat food from Simply Nourish™, Authority® or Good Natured™, a complimentary private training session with an accredited trainer, a free Doggie Day Camp session and a free overnight boarding stay, as well as half-off on a grooming service. Also included are savings on all the essentials for a new pet including beds, crates, gates, brushes, feeding bowls, collars, leashes, toys and treats, as well as solutions like pet calming products and stain and odor remedies for any mishaps that may occur.

*Adoption papers required.

About PetSmart® In Canada, PetSmart is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we believe pets make us better people. That's why we create more moments for people to be inspired by pets. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ more than 3,600 associates and operate more than 115 pet stores across Canada with seven operating in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel ™ dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for Pet Parents -- including PetSmart.ca , Pet360.com and petMD.com -- offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in North America. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities of Canada, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 225,000 pets since 1999. In addition, PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart Gives Back ™. By giving back to the communities where we live and work, PetSmart® not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich people's lives -- we live it.

Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart and on Instagram: @PetSmart Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/PetSmartCanada See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart

About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year, more than 20,000 cats and dogs find homes through our adoption program in nearly all PetSmart stores and our sponsored adoption events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada has granted more than $10 million to help pets in need by supporting adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation and providing emergency relief funds and supplies to pets and pet parents impacted by natural or man-made disasters. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered charity, independent from PetSmart.

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