Coronavirus Impact and Needs:

Animal shelters are also feeling the impact as fewer people come in to adopt pets and many shelters are forced to close to the public altogether. According to some animal welfare organizations, it is likely fewer people will be considering adoption and more pet parents will have to surrender pets due to health or economic hardship. As a result, the number of homeless pets is expected to increase. To help address these issues, PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare, has committed up to $1 million to support pets and people affected by COVID-19. These funds will support both the animal shelters caring for pets and organizations that are helping impacted people keep and care for their pets in the areas with the highest number of reported cases in the U.S. and Canada. Click here to learn more.

PetSmart Charities, Inc. (PetSmart Charities) is committed to finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities helps to find forever homes and families for more than 500,000 shelter pets each year. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to nonprofits aligned with its mission under four key areas of support: Building Positive Relationships Between People and Pets, Improving Quality of Life for Under Resourced Pets, Influencing Communities to Invest in Pets, and Preserving Families at Risk Scenarios. 

PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting almost $400 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, a third-party organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 16 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.

The organization's major program areas include:

Connecting People & Pets: Whether it’s through our in-store adoption centers, National Adoption Week, or our online search tool, we help pets in need find loving families to call their own. 

Supporting Pets & People: We support pets and their families through programs that offer access to veterinary resources, help battle food insecurity, and provide emergency relief.