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PetSmart Charities Awards $2.3 Million in Grants from Katrina Donations to Support Ongoing Disaster Relief

• $1.3 million to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Awarded to the ASPCA in February to fund a large-scale spay/neuter program in the greater New Orleans and southern Mississippi areas, the grant represents the largest single gift ever made by PetSmart Charities. The grant supports a voucher program for local veterinarians to perform spay/neuter surgeries, and will help fund equipment, supplies and vehicles for two start-up spay/neuter clinics. In this collaborative $4.5 million program led by the ASPCA, up to 32,000 spay/neuter surgeries could be supported in each of the two regions, helping to control a growing pet overpopulation problem in the post Hurricane Katrina era.
• $540,000 to State Animal Response Teams (SART). The multi-year grant will fund the development of 25 new SART-certified states through 2010. SART is a public-private partnership that has developed a set of protocols and training curriculum for teams to handle animal emergencies consistently across local, county and state jurisdictions. Awarded as a challenge grant, the funding provides each participating state one-half of the $40,000 required to become trained and certified under SART's emergency preparedness program. SART units are trained using Incident Command System principles developed by the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Eleven states are already SART certified. The initial grant of $140,000 includes $80,000 to fully fund SART training in Louisiana and Mississippi. States wishing to become SART certified in 2006 with a matching grant must apply before April 30, 2006, at www.sartusa.org.
• $500,000 to establish a regional emergency supply trailer program. Tractor-trailer rigs will be fully stocked with emergency pet supplies and strategically stationed at six PetSmart distribution centers across the U.S. The trailers will be deployed to affected areas during natural disasters such as hurricanes and fires as well as other large-scale pet emergencies. Each trailer will be furnished with animal necessities such as crates, bowls, collars, leashes, food and medical supplies, including equine products, and will be capable of handling the emergency needs of up to 500 pets. Trailers also will be stocked with generators, tents and other supplies used by emergency response volunteers.

The recent grants represent the remaining balance of $3.5 million in donations made to PetSmart Charities by customers, PetSmart associates, suppliers and others for hurricane relief during the storms of 2005. An initial $1.2 million went to local and national animal welfare organizations that were involved in relief efforts or whose facilities were damaged by the storms.

"In collaboration with our animal welfare partners, we've worked hard to identify the greatest needs associated with last year's disaster and the most practical and sensible solutions to those needs. We've directed the funding where we believe it will have the greatest impact, with a focus on being better prepared for the future," said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities.

"We know these dollars will help position organizations to better achieve their goals of responding to the needs of pets during a disaster or emergency, and also to mitigate the effects of future disasters on pets and other animals," Della Maddalena said, "We're most grateful to the many individuals and organizations who were so generous in their donations and who made these lifesaving gifts possible."

About PetSmart Charities
PetSmart Charities, Inc. (PCI) is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs which save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues, and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. Since 1994, PCI has donated more than $42 million to animal welfare agencies and, through its in-store adoption programs, has saved the lives of more than 2.5 million pets. To learn more about how PCI is working to help find a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit www.PetSmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS.