Chargers Host Dog Draft, Presented by Petco

SAN DIEGO, April 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Petco, The San Diego Chargers and Second Chance Dog Rescue are joining forces to host the first "Chargers Dog Draft," presented by Petco, on Saturday, April 30 at 9 a.m. at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chargers Dog Draft will take place at Qualcomm Stadium section O-1, near the main entrance to the 2016 DraftFest. Chargers fans and dog lovers will have a unique opportunity to provide a forever home for "man's best friend" at this special draft weekend event at the stadium. The event is free and open to the public.

"I am a proud pet parent along with many of our players, coaches and staff, and there are many Chargers fans who are passionate about animals and dogs in particular, so we thought this was a great opportunity to allow Chargers fans to draft a new pet into their family at the same time we'll be drafting new players into ours," said John Spanos, President-Football Operations for the Chargers.

Petco is the presenting sponsor of the Dog Draft, while Second Chance Dog Rescue of San Diego will administer the event. On the day of the event, a limited number of dogs from Second Chance Dog Rescue will be available for adoption on-site. Rescue staff will also be available to answer any questions from potential adopters.

"We salute the San Diego Chargers organization for leveraging the popularity of the NFL Draft to create awareness for adoptable pets," said David Hallisey, Vice President, Communications for Petco. "Just like the rookies that will be joining the team soon, we look forward to doing all we can to help support pet parents who step up and make their pick this weekend."

"The dog draft is an incredibly unique idea that supports our core values and purpose in the San Diego Community. We've been holding adoption events in San Diego since our inception in 2008 and each one helps to educate the public as well as find homes for the dogs in need. Thanks to the support from the Chargers and Petco, this event will help create more awareness that will no doubt make a difference in our community," said Megan Knight, President for Second Chance Dog Rescue.

The Chargers Dog Draft has been featured on Instagram in the run-up to the event, profiling dogs available for adoption and building awareness for the first-ever Dog Draft. For more information on dog adoption, fostering, overpopulation and spaying/neutering, fans may visit http://www.chargers.com/dogdraft.

About Petco and the Petco Foundation
With more than 50 years of service to pet parents, Petco is a leading pet specialty retailer that focuses on nurturing powerful relationships between people and pets. We do this by providing the products, services, advice and experiences that keep pets physically fit, mentally alert, socially engaged and emotionally happy. Everything we do is guided by our vision for Healthier Pets. Happier People. Better World. We operate more than 1,430 Petco locations across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, including more than 115 Unleashed by Petco locations, a smaller format neighborhood shop; prescription services and pet supplies from the leading veterinary-operated pet product supplier, Drs. Foster & Smith; and petco.com. The Petco Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization, has invested more than $135 million since it was created in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, help find homes for more than 400,000 animals every year.

About the San Diego Chargers:
The San Diego Chargers originated as the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League in 1960. The team relocated to San Diego in 1961 and captured the American Football League championship in 1963. The Chargers finished first in five of their 10 AFL seasons. Since joining the National Football League when the two leagues merged in 1970, the Chargers have won 11 AFC West division titles. Overall, the team has played in 28 playoff games, including Super Bowl XXIX following the 1994 season. Most recently, over the last 12 seasons (2004-15), the Chargers have won five division titles and had just two losing seasons.

Construction leader and real estate developer Alex G. Spanos purchased the team in 1984 and his son Dean Spanos took over the reins of the team in 1994. Dean's sons, A.G. and John, were named President-Business Operations and President-Football Operations, respectively, in 2015. The Spanos family is nationally renowned as one of San Diego's and the NFL's most philanthropic families.The family has contributed millions of dollars and endless support to deserving civic, social and non-profit organizations.In addition, millions of dollars also have been invested in an effort to secure a modern, Super Bowl-quality stadium for San Diego.

About the Second Chance Dog Rescue
Second Chance Dog Rescue is one of San Diego's largest and most successful non-profit 501c3 organizations dedicated to saving homeless dogs. The organizations rescues, rehabilitates and re-homes dogs, primarily from local shelters, as well as dogs surrendered by their owners for various reasons, and dogs from Baja California, Mexico. For more information, visit www.SecondChanceDogRescue.org. 

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SOURCE Petco