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PetSmart brings portable pop-up dog park to Detroit, providing more than 10,000 sq. ft. of space for pet owners to bring dogs to play; PetSmart P.U.P. is a shipping container that can be deployed to create interim dog park

PHOENIX May 15, 2014 Press Release 4 min read

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PHOENIX , May 15, 2014 (press release) – PetSmart, Inc. has partnered with the City of Detroit and the non-profit community organization Detroit Dog Park to bring a portable, pop-up dog park to a vacant lot in Detroit. This is the first official dog park in Detroit, providing more than 10,000 square feet of space for pet parents to bring their pets to play. The new park is called the PetSmart P.U.P.’s Detroit Dog Park, and is located at the former Macomb Playlot at 2301 17th Street at Rose Street in Detroit, Mich. The park is near the Michigan Central Station in the city’s historic Corktown neighborhood.

PetSmart’s P.U.P. is a shipping container that contains everything that can be deployed to create an interim dog park, including 340 feet of fencing, three Oops clean-up Stations, three moveable backless benches, lighting on and inside the container (powered by a solar panel on the roof of the container) and a storage closet. The shipping container serves as the park’s point of entry and exit. PetSmart provided all of the equipment required to set up the park, and Detroit Dog Park will maintain the park.

“At PetSmart, we believe in enriching people’s lives through the power of pets, and this is centered on giving back to the communities where we all live and work,” said David Lenhardt, president and CEO, PetSmart. “The PetSmart P.U.P. will provide the pet parents of downtown Detroit with a much-needed place to let their pets run and play while improving the community by repurposing vacant land.”

“Detroit Dog Park is thrilled to partner with PetSmart and the city of Detroit to build the city’s first official dog park,” said Mary Lorene Carter, President of Detroit Dog Park. “With so much vacant land in the city, we are pleased to put Macomb Playlot back to use as a park for dogs and their people. Providing Detroiters with a place to socialize and exercise their dogs is part of our mission, and we thank PetSmart’s P.U.P. program for helping us realize that goal.”

“The City of Detroit is a great place to live and build a community. The good work Detroit Dog Park and PetSmart have done with the City is another example of how we can truly meet our residents’ needs,” said Lisa Howze, Director of Government Affairs at the City of Detroit. “We are excited for this park and look forward to our residents using it for years to come.”

There are currently two other PetSmart P.U.P.s (Pop-Up Park) in the country, both located in Phoenix, Ariz., where PetSmart is based. PetSmart hopes to bring the P.U.P. to four more communities throughout the country by the end of 2014. Specific locations have not yet been finalized.

PetSmart’s P.U.P. is one of several national programs PetSmart runs under its community relations program, PetSmart Gives Back. PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home and enrich people’s lives through the power of pets. Its other programs include:

PetSmart Promise – which supports homeless families in keeping their pets
PetSmart Paws for Hope – which promotes healing through therapy dogs at hospitals
PetSmart for Patriots – which is a joint endeavor between PetSmart and Canine Companions for Independence, in support of Canine Companions’ Wounded Veterans Initiative to help partner assistance dogs with the military veterans who need them

About PetSmart

PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information (http://www.petsmart.com). The company employs approximately 54,000 associates and operates more than 1,314 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, and over 196 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, PetSmart Doggie Day CampSM day care services and pet adoption services. Through its in-store pet adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities®, PetSmart has helped save the lives of more than 5 million pets since 1994. PetSmart Charities, Inc. and PetSmart Charities of Canada, Inc. (“PetSmart Charities”) are independent, nonprofit organizations that save the lives of homeless pets and reduce shelter intake through spay/neuter efforts. In 2012, nearly 450,000 dogs and cats found homes through PetSmart Charities’ adoption centers in all PetSmart stores and by sponsoring community adoption events. PetSmart Charities is the leader in granting money to help pets in need, with more than $28 million given in 2012 throughout North America.

About Detroit Dog Park

Detroit Dog Park is a not-for-profit organization that turns vacant land in Detroit into off-leash dog parks. We were founded in June 2011 on the idea that dog parks build community between dog owners and neighbors and that dog parks support responsible dog ownership. The organization is volunteer-driven and oversight is through a nine-member Board of Directors. For information, visit detroitdogpark.org or facebook.com/detroitdogpark.
Contacts

Widmeyer for PetSmart
Christina Saull, 614-323-0306 (cell)
Christina.Saull@widmeyer.com
or
PetSmart
Erin Gray, 623-516-3908
egray@ssg.petsmart.com
or
Detroit Dog Park
Megha Satyanarayana, 214-477-8601
detroitdogpark@gmail.com

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