Four More Games Added to Bark at the Park
Program so More Fans can Enjoy America’s Favorite Pastime with
their Best Friend
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.
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Central Garden & PetMark Newberg, 847-330-5367
(Office)mnewberg@central.com847-722-6754 (Mobile)orPetSmartDanielle
Bickelmann, 469-680-2503dbickelmann@golin.com
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