FIRST EVER NATIONAL DOG PLAYGROUP ROCKSTARS ADOPTION EVENT ON MAY 13th

Nonprofits Petco Love and Dogs Playing for Life launch a new approach to Pet Adoption

SAN ANTONIO, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 13^th, national nonprofit organization Petco Love joins forces with Dogs Playing for Life and BOBS from Skechers™ to launch a National Playgroup Rockstars Adoption event at more than 30 animal shelters around the country to showcase social adoptable dogs in a fun and playful environment.

Dogs Playing for Life created the unique playgroup shelter dog enrichment program operating with the simple philosophy of "Every Dog, Every Day, Let Them Play!" Their goal – to ensure shelter pets' positively experience life at an animal shelter, while providing shelter staff the information needed to help that pet find its new loving home. Playgroup Rockstars are dogs that are well-socialized and love to play with just about any dog playmate. At the May 13th event, participating shelters will waive or have reduced Playgroup Rockstars adoption fees and offer special Play Pair gifts for pet parents adopting two Rockstars.

Most pet parents see pets as family and want to bring their pets with them where they go and incorporate them into their daily lives. This often means having social dogs is important to their pet adoption decision. There's a reason it's called the "dog pack" – dogs are social and energetic pets who thrive on companionship with other dogs. It is also true that a tired dog is often the most well-behaved dog. That's why adopting a Playgroup Rockstars Dog Play Pair will help pet parents with both of their newly adopted dogs' socialization, mental and physical stimulation, and overall health and wellbeing.

"The first dog I had was an only child, so to keep him happy we went on long walks morning and night.  But still during the day he was home alone, and I always felt guilty working long hours," said Susanne Kogut, Petco Love President. "When he passed, I decided to adopt two large dogs because I thought they would have each other for company, and when I was busy, they could still get their exercise playing and running together in the yard. Adopting two play buddies was the best decision I ever made for the dogs and for me. Many people choose to adopt two kittens for the same reason, but we seem to approach dog adoption differently. Adopting a Play Pair, two Playgroup Rockstars, makes great sense."

Aimee Sadler, the founder of Dogs Playing for Life, began developing the program in 1998, when she observed large dogs at shelters often never left their kennel due to staffing and volunteer limitations. As a dog trainer specializing in behavior issues, she sought to change all that by shifting the shelter paradigm to incorporate large scale playgroups in the everyday activities. Dogs Playing for Life trains shelter staff how to assess dogs properly to enable them to run large dog playgroups as a normal part of shelter life. "When you see a bunch of shelter dogs all romping together and having fun versus frustrated being alone in a kennel, well it is simply magical. These dog play groups allow dogs to be dogs and enjoy their day, despite the fact that due to unfortunate circumstances they landed in a shelter. Add on that the ability to showcase their beautiful and playful nature might be their ticket to a new loving home, I can't help but believe we are making a difference by prioritizing a better experience for them while sheltered," said founder Aimee Sadler. Dogs Playing for Life programming now takes place at more than 300 shelters across the U.S.

BOBS from Skechers™ is partnering with Petco Love and Dogs Playing for Life for this unique adoption event. "We know that large dogs are currently the population most at risk in shelters across the country and they need to find loving homes more than ever," said Jenn Clay, vice president of Corporate Communications at Skechers USA, Inc. "That's why BOBS from Skechers™ is excited to highlight the benefits of adopting large dogs and play pairs through this special event, and continue our ongoing mission to help shelter pets who need it most."

The May 13^th Playgroup Rockstars event is being held at the shelters and locations listed below. This list can also be found on PlaygroupRockstars.com. Most participating shelters will waive dog adoption fees for a Rockstar. For people who already have pets, the Playgroup Rockstars Adoption Event allows you to identify and see the dogs in action who might be the perfect match for your existing pet. For those considering adopting two dogs, the teams on the ground can help you find the perfect pair. Adopters of Play Pairs will also receive gift cards from Petco.

Participating shelters:
Arizona Animal Welfare League- 25 N 40th St, Phoenix, AZ 85034
Alachua County Animal Resources- 3400 NE 53rd Ave, Gainesville, Florida 32609
Anderson County Paws- 1320 US-29, Anderson, SC 29626
Animal Compassion Team (ACT)- 2789 S Orange Ave, Fresno, CA 93725
BARCS- 301 Stockholm St, Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Brandywine Valley SPCA (three locations) -
West Chester: 1212 Phoenixville Pike, West Chester, PA 19380
New Castle: 290 Churchmans Road, New Castle, DE 19720
Georgetown: 22918, Dupont Boulevard, Georgetown, DE 19947
Brevard County Animal Care Center- 5100 W Eau Gallie Blvd, Melbourne, Florida 32934
Cabot Animal Support Services- 2951 S. 1st St, Cabot, Arkansas 72023
Cache Humane Society- 2370 W 200 N, Logan, UT 84321
Chicago Animal Care and Control- 2741 S Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60608
City of Los Angeles (two locations)-
South LA Animal Services Center/Chesterfield Square, 1850 W 60th St, Los Angeles Ca 90047
East Valley Animal Services Center, 14409 Vanowen St, Van Nuys Ca 91405 Dallas Animal Services- 1818 N. Westmoreland Rd, Dallas, Texas 75212
Fresno Humane- 1510 W. Dan Ronquillo Dr., Fresno CA 93706
Humane Society of Northeast Georgia - 845 W. Ridge Rd, Gainesville, Georgia 30501
Humane Society of Sarasota County- 2331 15th St, Sarasota, Florida 34237
Jacksonville ACPS- 2020 Forest St, Jacksonville, FL 32204
Jacksonville Humane Society- 8464 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, Florida 32216
Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association- 1248 Greenbrier St, Charleston, West Virginia 25311
Kansas City Pet Project- 4400 Raytown Rd, Kansas City, Missouri 64129
LA County- Palmdale Animal Care Center - 38550 Sierra Hwy, Palmdale, CA 93550
Lee County Humane Society- 1440 Ware Dr, Auburn, Alabama 36832
Longmont Humane Society - 9595 Nelson Rd, Longmont, CO 80501
Miami-Dade County Animal Services- 3599 NW 79th Ave, Doral, Florida 33122
Montgomery County Animal Shelter- 8535 TX-242, Conroe, Texas 77385
Nebraska Humane Society – 8929 Fort Street, Omaha, NE, 68134
Oakland Animal Services- 1101 29th Ave, Oakland, California 94601
Operation Kindness- 3201 Earhart Dr, Carrollton, TX 75006
Paws for Life K9 Rescue- 15321 S Brand Blvd, Mission Hills, CA 91345
Siouxland Humane Society- 1015 Tri-View Ave, Sioux City, Iowa 51103
Stockton Animal Shelter- 1575 S Lincoln St., Stockton, CA, 95206
Ventura County Animal Services- 600 Aviation Dr, Camarillo, California 93010
Williamson County Animal Center- 1006 Grigsby Hayes Court, Franklin, TN 37064

About Petco Love
Petco Love is a life-changing nonprofit organization that makes 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 $350 million in adoption and other lifesaving efforts. We've helped find loving homes for more than 6.7 million pets in partnership with Petco and organizations nationwide.

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.  Join us. Visit petcolove.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to be part of the lifesaving work we lead every day.

About Dogs Playing for Life
Founded in 2015, Dogs Playing for Life has been redefining the meaning and importance of quality of life for all sheltered dogs by improving their experience through playgroups and individualized training, resulting in urgent and responsible lifesaving. Since inception, DPFL has introduced playgroups to 329 shelters and counting, who realize an average 6% increase in lifesaving and 38% decrease in length of stay for dogs. Shelters frequently describe DPFL programming as "game changing," "transformational," and "the most important thing to happen for shelter dogs." To find out more, visit dogsplayingforlife.com/.

About SKECHERS U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE: SKX), The Comfort Technology Company™ based in Southern California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company's collections are available in over 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through digital stores and over 4,500 Company- and third-party-owned physical retail stores. The Company manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

About BOBS from Skechers
BOBS from Skechers' charitable collection of shoes, apparel and accessories have improved animals' lives: over the past seven years, Skechers has contributed more than $9.7 million to help over 1.8 million shelter pets, including saving more than 1.3 million rescued animals in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. 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.

Media Contact:
Crystal Bugary, Petco Love, [email protected]

SOURCE Petco Love