Our Standard of Care
We aim to lead the industry in providing the highest-quality care to pets – before they reach our stores, while they’re in our care, and after they settle happily into their forever homes. All of our pet care health and safety practices, policies and procedures are evidence based, and developed with the clinical expertise of our veterinary team.
pets cared for
across our footprint
in stores, salons,
daycares and hotels
hours per year walking stores checking on animal welfare and habitat cleanliness
stores visited per year by internal auditors to verify compliance with our rigorous standards and polices for pet care
pet care guides distributed
to support
pet parents
A Leading Approach in Pet Health and Safety
PetSmart trains more pet specialists, with more extensive training, than any other pet retailer in North America. All PetSmart associates who work with pets must complete our Pet Care Certification program before beginning to care for and interact with pets, in addition to specialized training for our grooming salons, pet training and hotels. Every PetSmart associate, regardless of their daily responsibilities, is trained in how to identify the critical signs of stress in animals. We maintain rigorous pet care protocols, care guides, and habitat and cleaning standards that our associates work every day to uphold.
HOURS OF TRAINING PROVIDED TO ASSOCIATES IN PET CARE POSITIONS: 1.5M+
The Most Hands-On Instruction and Training
After completing initial training as bathers and gaining knowledge of various dog breeds and styling, more than 3,100 associates advance to our Grooming Academy each year. This program offers up to 800 hours of training focused on pet safety, breed characteristics, and grooming techniques. Before our groomers work independently, they must bathe and groom at least 325 dogs and pass technical evaluations.
Vet Assured™
Our Vet Assured™ program promotes responsible sourcing, sets standards for care and transportation practices and policies for our suppliers, and requires screening tests for certain pets for certain suppliers’ pets before they are offered for sale.
The Standard for Pet Care
- Most vendors are required to have veterinarians on staff or under contract
- Vendors undergo regular veterinary inspections
- Associates conduct examinations on most pets upon their arrival in our stores
- Birds and small animals are quarantined and monitored before they are available for sale
- Associates follow strict isolation and care protocols for ill or injured pets
- Customers receive education on zoonotic diseases before making a purchase
Healthy Pet Advisory Council
