PETCO Stores Sending Pet Fur to Help Gulf Oil Cleanup

SAN DIEGO, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- PETCO today began shipping donations of pet fur from its grooming salons to aid in creating absorbent booms to soak up and remove oil from Gulf of Mexico waters.

The company has engaged its nationwide network of grooming salons in this effort, and is coordinating with Matter of Trust, a San Francisco nonprofit organization that has established a process for donating animal fur and human hair to create the booms. Animal fur and human hair naturally absorb oil from the water.

Once fur shipments arrive in the Gulf Coast region, volunteers gather to assemble the booms and prepare for their deployment. The booms are made by stuffing donated nylon stockings with hair and fur.

"As soon as we heard about the call for pet fur to help with oil cleanup, we knew we were in a unique position to help," PETCO CEO Jim Myers said. "With customers coming into our grooming salons every day throughout the country, we have a tremendous amount of material to contribute. This is a wonderful way for PETCO, our foundation and our customers to help protect the environment and the aquatic and bird life now at risk in the Gulf area. Everyone in the company, especially our grooming team, is excited to provide this unique assistance, and our customers are asking about it, too."

With nearly 1,000 grooming salons pitching in, PETCO expects to be able to ship up to a ton of donated fur per day and hopes to reach 5 tons through Mother's Day weekend.

The company encourages pet parents who want to participate to visit their local PETCO grooming salon for any grooming service that includes a fur trim and help boost fur collections.

The PETCO Foundation is also involved in this activity by providing assistance transporting donated fur to the Gulf region.

To find a PETCO store and grooming salon near you, visit www.PETCO.com/locator.

About PETCO and the PETCO Foundation

PETCO is a privately held specialty retailer that provides products, services and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. We operate more than 1,000 stores in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading pet products and information destination at www.petco.com. Our nonprofit organization, The PETCO Foundation, has raised more than $63 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support approximately 6,200 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 200,000 adoptable animals every year.

Contact:  Lisa Epstein, 858-453-7845 x 2558, [email protected]

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030603/PETCOLOGO)

SOURCE PETCO

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