SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Throughout October, the Petco Foundation, a national nonprofit that has invested more than $260 million in lifesaving animal welfare work, will honor "Helping Heroes," the therapy, service and working animals that have a significant impact on people across the nation.
With a goal to raise more than $2.2 million in Petco locations and online, the Helping Heroes campaign celebrates and invests in the incredible organizations that train and support these heroes to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people each and every day.
Jake, an adopted search and rescue dog trained by the National Search Dog Foundation, serves alongside Eric on California Task Force 7. Jake and Eric travel the country to assist when disaster strikes!
Therapy team, Emily and Lulu, offered comfort and hope to their community members in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
When Navy Veteran Alessandra began experiencing PTSD related symptoms, her adopted service dog, Kota, from Veterans Assistance Dogs of Texas, helped her regain confidence and independence.
High school senior Bella and her therapy cat, Scarlett, are certified through Pet Partners. They volunteer to provide children with a reassuring ear to practice reading.
On Saturday, October 12 from 11am – 1pm local time, the Petco Foundation and local organizations are inviting the public to meet Helping Heroes at participating Petco locations across the country. Guests will learn about the transformative impact that therapy, service and/or working animals have on lives every day. More information and a list of participating locations is here: https://www.petcofoundation.org/meetahero
"Saving these amazing animals and transforming them into heroes highlights the true potential of shelter pets," said Susanne Kogut, President, Petco Foundation. "The transformative impact that these animals have on so many individuals is life-changing and we are proud to celebrate and support the organizations that make this possible."
Throughout the month, the Petco Foundation will share stories and videos about these organizations and animals that touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Some of the animal heroes featured in the Helping Heroes campaign include:
Kota: Service Dog Helps Navy Veteran Regain Independence When Navy Veteran Alessandra began experiencing PTSD related symptoms adopted service dog, Kota helped her regain confidence and independence. Read Kota's story here.
Scarlett: Therapy Cat Helps Kids Improve Their Reading Skills After learning about pet therapy teams, high school senior Bella became interested in being part of a pet therapy team herself with her adopted cat Scarlett. Read Scarlett's story here.
Lulu: Rescued Greyhound Turned Therapy Dog A rescued Greyhound becomes a therapy dog and works with her teen best friend to offer comfort and hope in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Read Lulu's story here.
Jake: From Stray to Search Dog Jake was brought into the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, wandering as a stray. When the staff noticed his fun energy and love for fetch, they thought he had the potential to assist in search and rescue. Read Jake's story here.
Individuals can Help these Heroes by donating online or in a Petco or Unleashed by Petco store October 5 through October 27. To learn more about the Petco Foundation, this campaign and working, service and therapy animals, visit www.petcofoundation.org/hero.
About the Petco Foundation At the Petco Foundation, we believe that every animal deserves to live its best life. Since 1999, we've invested more than $260 million in lifesaving animal welfare work to make that happen. With our more than 4,000 animal welfare partners, we inspire and empower communities to make a difference by investing in adoption and medical care programs, spay and neuter services, pet cancer research, service and therapy animals, and numerous other lifesaving initiatives. Through our Think Adoption First program, we partner with Petco stores and animal welfare organizations across the country to increase pet adoptions. So far, we've helped more than 6 million pets find their new loving families, and we're just getting started. Visit petcofoundation.org to learn more about how you can get involved.
Media Contact: Lisa Lane, Petco Foundation, Director of Marketing and Development [email protected] (210) 201-9253
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