Petco Love Celebrates How Adopted Pets Change Our Lives By Surprising Animal Welfare Organizations with $1M This Holiday

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This Giving Tuesday, national nonprofit Petco Love kicks off the holiday season in a big way announcing $1 million to support animal welfare organizations through their annual Love Stories campaign (formerly Holiday Wishes). With thousands of adopters nationwide sharing stories about how their pets changed their lives, Petco Love and campaign partner, BOBS from Skechers, selected the 100 best stories and will celebrate this holiday season at gatherings in Petco Pet Care Centers across the nation through Dec. 19.

At the events, Petco Love will surprise the pet adoption organization with a grant award of up to $100,000, and the adopter will receive BOBS from Skechers shoes and a Petco shopping spree to spoil their beloved pet(s).

"These Love Stories reflect the importance of pets in our lives. Whether we're in the best or worst of times, the love of pets can change everything," said Petco Love President, Susanne Kogut. "Reading these touching tales strengthens our resolve to create a world where every shelter pet finds a loving family, and no pet is unnecessarily euthanized. We are proud to invest $1 million to further empower the lifesaving organizations that work tirelessly to save pet lives and inspire others to adopt pets from their local adoption organization."

Eighty-five million households in the U.S. have pets. The diverse and relatable selection of 100 winning stories reflect the many big and small, simple but profound ways pets make our lives better. Selected stories include:

• Adopted Dog Helps Mom Through Breast Cancer Treatment and Beyond: After being diagnosed with cancer, Whitney adopted Dash who stayed by her side through chemotherapy and COVID-19 and gave her a reason to smile. Since then, she's fostered countless animals and adopted a second pup, Duncan.
• Orange Duo Brings Joy to Neighborhood During COVID-19 Lockdown: At the start of San Francisco's COVID-19 lockdown, Natasha and her partner adopted kittens Oona and Elio, whose playful antics in their windowfront hammock brought their neighborhood together.
• Bolt the Dog Shows Man in Recovery the Power of Unconditional Love: Nicholas' journey of sobriety led him to volunteer to help animals, which is how he met Bolt. While they've both had a challenging past, Bolt showed Nicholas that everyone deserves to be loved.
• Little Girl Meets Her Match in a Cat with a Cleft Lip and Palate: Caitlin's daughter, Ivy, was born with a cleft lip and palate. When Caitlin adopted Sergeant Pepper, a cat born with the same condition, she knew Ivy would never feel alone in this world.
• Adopted Dog Shows Her Mom How to Choose Love in the Face of Hate: When Yukari experienced a racist incident in New York, her dog Butter's comfort and care showed her that love prevails. Yukari found strength in her community of pet parents, who rallied to help her feel safe again.
• Pair of Kittens Helps Couple See Family in a New Way: Louise and Edward struggled to conceive, but throughout their infertility journey, kittens Tom and Sylvester offered comfort, healing, and a new definition of family.

Animal lovers can champion pet adoption by voting for their favorite story in the People's Choice Competition at petcolove.org/lovestories. The top five stories with the most votes will earn additional grant funding for animal welfare organizations from $5,000 to $25,000. Voting closes Dec. 15, noon CST. People's Choice winners will be announced before Christmas.

Since 2013, more than 20,000 adopters have shared how their pets have changed their lives in the annual campaign, with Petco Love granting nearly $7 million to the hardworking animal welfare organizations making these adoption matches possible. Contributors to Petco Love's grants include its philanthropic partner Skechers, which has donated more than $3.9 million through sales of its BOBS from Skechers collection to help the organization save and support more than 800,000 shelter animals in the United States and Canada. For more on Petco Love's annual Love Stories campaign, visit petcolove.org/lovestories and join the conversation on social media using #PetcoLoveStories.

About Petco Love
Petco Love is a nonprofit organization that changes lives by making communities and pet families closer, stronger, and healthier. Since our founding in 1999 as the Petco Foundation, we've empowered animal welfare organizations by investing $300 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 6.5 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide. Today, our love for pets drives us to lead with innovation, creating tools animal lovers need to reunite lost pets, and lead with passion, inspiring and mobilizing communities and our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners to drive lifesaving change alongside us. Is love calling you? Visit petcolove.org or follow at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we're leading every day.

About BOBS from Skechers
BOBS from Skechers' charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals' lives: over the past five years, Skechers has contributed more than $7.3 million to help more than 1.4 million shelter pets, including saving more than a million rescued pets in the United States and Canada. It all started in 2011, when Skechers launched a movement to support children impacted by natural disasters and poverty ? a cause that has helped the Company donate more than 16 million new pairs of shoes to kids in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about BOBS from Skechers' commitment to making a difference, visit BOBSfromSkechers.com and follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Contact: Jennifer Perez, Petco Love, 210-870-6481, [email protected]  

SOURCE Petco Love