PetSmart®, AvoDerm® Natural Pet Foods, Nylabone® Team up to Expand Bark at the Park for 2016 MLB Season
Four More Games Added to Bark at the Park Program so More Fans can
Enjoy America’s Favorite Pastime with their Best Friend
PHOENIX & WALNUT CREEK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With the season openers of many Major League Baseball teams just weeks
away, Central Garden & Pet, the parent of AvoDerm Natural Pet Foods and
Nylabone, together with the nation’s leading pet retailer, PetSmart,
jointly announced today that they are expanding the Bark at the Park
series to include four additional games where pet parents and their dogs
can together enjoy America’s favorite pastime – a baseball game.
Central is partnering with 12 Major League Baseball teams to hold 12
Bark at the Park events at their home games, including the New York
Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago
White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Detroit
Tigers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks.
At each of the Bark at the Park games, in addition to taking in the
excitement of Major League Baseball, fans and their dogs can join in a
pre-game parade around the field and enjoy a PetSmart-hosted activities
center including dog-friendly ice cream samples, photo ops, Pet
Expression dog-friendly painted stencils featuring the logos of the
teams playing that day, give-aways and discount coupons.
“Since 2005 when we first launched this program with the Oakland As, we
have watched the magic that happens when man’s best friend and America’s
favorite pastime come together,” said Jim Heim, President of Business
Development for Central Garden & Pet. “Last year more than 5,000 dogs
and their families enjoyed a day or evening at the ballpark in what has
become one of the most popular promotions in all of sports. In 2016, we
are adding four more teams to join in the fun and celebrate the
importance of pets in our lives. By teaming up with major league
baseball and our amazing retail and animal welfare partners, we are able
to build awareness, as well as promote adoption, responsible pet
ownership and animal health and welfare. It’s the perfect win-win
situation for all involved.”
The Bark at the Park 2016 season will launch on May 1 when the
Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field in Phoenix, also
PetSmart’s home town and headquarters location.
“PetSmart truly values the time pet parents spend with their beloved
pets, and we want to help enrich the experiences they share together –
including a baseball game!” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience
officer, PetSmart, Inc. “We are thrilled to team up with Central Garden
& Pet to help expand the national Bark at the Park series with
additional games so more pet parents can have the opportunity to enjoy
this favorite pastime with their best friends.”
Hall of Fame manager and Chief Baseball Officer of the Arizona
Diamondbacks, Tony La Russa, returns as the program’s official
ambassador and will help promote the program through a public service
campaign at participating ballparks encouraging people to adopt a new
pet or a pal for their current pet. La Russa is the co-founder and
Chairman of the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) who will again receive
donations from Central Garden & Pet and the teams to support ARF’s many
initiatives as part of the program.
“ARF is excited to partner with AvoDerm, Nylabone, PetSmart, and the
American Pet Products Association (APPA) to help bring Bark at the Park
events to thousands of families,” said La Russa. “Central Garden & Pet
is a long-time supporter of ARF’s mission to save dogs and cats who have
run out of time at public shelters and to help bring people and animals
together. Our ties to baseball obviously run deep and this partnership
showcases my favorite passions… baseball, family and pets.”
In addition to the partnership with ARF, AvoDerm Natural Pet Foods and
Nylabone will promote responsible pet ownership, pet welfare, pet health
and nutrition and pet adoption through a strategic alliance with the
American Pet Products Association’s Pets Add Life (PAL) campaign.
Bob Vetere, APPA President and CEO added, “Our participation with Bark
at the Park has proven to be a very positive extension of our Pets Add
Life (PAL) social media program. Partnering with the increasing number
of teams joining this effort to help us promote responsible pet
ownership has encouraged us to grow our commitment again this year.”
Bark at the Park Schedule
May 1: Arizona D-backs host Colorado Rockies
May 14: Texas Rangers host Toronto Blue Jays
May 20: Philadelphia Phillies host Atlanta Braves
June 5: Miami Marlins host the New York Mets
June 21: Detroit Tigers host the Seattle Mariners
July 9: Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres
July 22: Oakland Athletics host the Tampa Bay Rays
August 9: Seattle Mariners host the Detroit Tigers
August 16: Colorado Rockies host the Washington Nationals
August 28: Houston Astros host the Tampa Bay Rays
September 13: Chicago White Sox host the Cleveland Indians
September 21: New York Mets host the Atlanta Braves
In other dog-friendly MLB news, separately PetSmart and the D-backs
announced the Dog Days of Summer, a season-long program with permanent
dog-friendly facilities at Chase Field in Phoenix including a PetSmart
Patio where groups of four people and one dog can enjoy a ballgame for
13 D-backs’ home games, as well as in-door and out-door dog parks. May 1
is the launch of Bark at the Park and also coincides with the third Dog
Days of Summer game – both at Chase Field. Through this unique
combination of dog-friendly opportunities, 600-plus dogs are expected at
Chase Field.
Promotion for the Bark at the Park program will include in-store
messaging featured at PetSmart’s more than 1,400 stores along with other
local independent retailers, public service announcements, national PR
efforts, social media, fundraising events, and direct engagement with
fans at ballparks across the country. Bark at the Park tickets are
expected to sell out quickly and can be purchased through each team’s
official website.
About Central Garden & Pet
Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading
innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the
lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product
innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass
retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed
and the brands PENNINGTON®, and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the
brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®,
SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products
under the PENNINGTON ® brand. We also provide a host of other regional
and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating
categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and
ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands AQUEON®, CORALIFE® and
ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, Forti-Diet® and
CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®,
IMS™, CADET®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®,
HORSE HEALTH™ and VITAFLEX®. We also provide a host of other
application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet
Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately
3,700 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information
on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company’s SEC
filings, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.
About Nylabone® Products
Nylabone® Products is a respected producer of premium pet products, and
the leader in safe, healthy chewing for over 50 years®.
Nylabone is a division of T.F.H. Publications, Inc., the world’s most
distinguished publisher of high-quality care and training books for
pets, and a founding member of the American Pet Products Manufacturing
Association (APPMA). Nylabone is recognized for its excellence, quality,
innovation and leadership in today’s pet industry. Its patented and
patent-pending products are frequently industry award-winners.
T.F.H./Nylabone is a subsidiary of Central Garden & Pet Company. For
more information, visit www.nylabone.com.
About AvoDerm® Natural Pet Food
Good health shows and it starts with the optimum nutrition of AvoDerm
Natural dog and cat food recipes. Made with premium quality proteins and
omega-rich avocados, AvoDerm uses no fillers or animal by-product meals
and is manufactured in the Company’s facility in Irwindale, California.
Natural avocados are a rich source of the vitamins, fatty acids, and
antioxidants that pets need for balanced nutrition, along with a healthy
skin and coat. What AvoDerm’s recipes do on the inside, shows on the
outside. For more information, visit www.avodermnatural.com.
About ARF
ARF’s core mission is the rescue of dogs and cats who have run out of
time at public shelters, giving them a chance at life until a new home
can be found. ARF couples this mission with innovative programs
strengthening the human-animal bond for children, seniors, veterans, and
people in disadvantaged circumstances. Through ARF, people experience
the unconditional love and acceptance of dogs and cats to fulfill a
mission of “People Rescuing Animals… Animals Rescuing People…”® Visit
www.arflife.org
for more information.
About Pets Add Life
Pets Add Life (PAL) is a national campaign established by the American
Pet Products Association (APPA) to promote the joys and benefits pets of
all types bring to our lives. PAL encourages responsible pet ownership
and adoption, and ultimately works to spread the message of the joys
associated with adding a pet to your life! Visit www.petsaddlife.org
or facebook.com/petsaddlife for more information.
About PetSmart
PetSmart,
Inc. 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 can live more fulfilled lives. This mission impacts
everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates,
and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000
associates, operate approximately 1,433 pet stores in the United States,
Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 202 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 Camp day care services and pet adoption services
in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents –including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com –
offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care
information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership
with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart
Charities™ and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save
the lives of more than 450,000 homeless pets each year. In addition,
PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to
call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart
Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and
work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich
people’s lives—we live it.
Contacts
Central Garden & Pet
Mark Newberg, 847-330-5367 (Office)
mnewberg@central.com
847-722-6754
(Mobile)
or
PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
