August 20, 2018
PHOENIX– PetSmart, North America’s leading pet specialty retailer, has announced updates to its comprehensive plan to provide pets with an even safer and more enjoyable experience in its grooming salons. Actions to improve the grooming experience, announced in February, include the appointment of an independent Review Board, the launch of nationwide Salon Open House events and the installation of digital video cameras in PetSmart salon locations.
The independent Review Board is in the process of reviewing PetSmart’s current grooming and training standards and will provide an unbiased report of its findings in the fall, including recommendations on any potential areas of improvement. The Review Board is comprised of leading veterinarians, accomplished master groomers, recognized industry experts and pet behaviorists, and includes:
- Dr. William Bracken, DVM
- Dr. Jon-Paul Carew, DVM
- Crista Coppola, PhD Behaviorist, CAAB (Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist)
- Nicole Kallish, Certified Master Groomer
- Jamie Migdal, Founder & CEO, FetchFind
- Jodi Murphy, Certified Master Groomer
- Todd Shelly, President Barkleigh Productions
- Dr. Valarie Tynes, DVM, DACVB, Veterinary Behaviorist
Additionally, PetSmart will host Open Houses for pet parents and their pets in all 1,650 grooming salons on Sunday, Sept. 23, from 10 a.m. to noon in local time zones. This nationwide event will allow pet parents to meet their local groomers, discuss their pet’s specific needs, tour all areas of the salon and have all their questions answered. It will also include informative sessions with an overview of safety and training standards, grooming tips and procedures and review of PetSmart’s recently enhanced assessments of pets brought in for grooming, designed to ensure a safer grooming experience.
The final piece of PetSmart’s action plan is enhanced salon monitoring in the form of salon cameras regularly monitored and reviewed by the company internally, which will provide reassurance to pet parents that their pets will receive the best possible care from the highly skilled grooming staff. Camera installation is currently underway, and nearly 50 percent of PetSmart salons will be completed by November 2018. All remaining salons will receive cameras by August 2019. Video will be used to assist in ongoing associate education, provide additional oversight and ensure that the quality of service meets PetSmart’s strict standards.
“The progress made against our action plan reflects our deep commitment to be the trusted partner to pet parents and pets,” said Gregg Scanlon, senior vice president of Store Operations and Services. “We recognize the responsibility we have every time a pet parent chooses PetSmart, and the actions taken will help to provide pet parents with the peace of mind knowing their pet is receiving the best possible care.”
For more information on PetSmart’s updates and enhancements to its industry leading grooming standards, please visit: https://www.petsmart.com/groominglearnmore.html.
About PetSmart®PetSmart LLC is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. PetSmart employs approximately 55,000 associates and operates more than 1,600 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. The retailer provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart, PetSmart Charities® and PetSmart Charities® of Canada work with more than 3,500 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 8 million adoptions, more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an independent subsidiary.
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Erin Gray, 623-587-2177
Senior Corporate Communications Manager
