Half of Canadian dog owners plan a specific holiday season grooming trip to spruce up their pet

Second annual Pet Poll finds Atlantic Canada and Alberta dog owners more likely to make a specific grooming trip ahead of Christmas

BURLINGTON, ON, Nov. 12, 2019 /CNW/ - A new Pet Poll conducted by DART Insights for PetSmart, the largest pet specialty retailer in Canada, finds that half (49%) of Canadian dog owners will likely make a specific trip to the groomers ahead of Christmas Day or New Year's Eve. The national Pet Poll also revealed that Atlantic Canada dog owners (44 per cent) and Alberta dog owners (43 per cent) are more likely to make a specific trip to the groomers ahead of Christmas than any other region in Canada.

While the holiday season may seem like a key time to make a grooming appointment, PetSmart suggests grooming be done every four to six weeks as it is essential to a pets overall health and wellbeing. PetSmart has the highest safety standards in the industry where stylists complete 800 or more hours of hands-on instruction and safety certification, working with at least 200 dogs of all breeds and sizes. All stylists complete annual safety re-certification and participate in monthly safety scenario trainings.

"Grooming is important for every dog breed, regardless of size, age and coat type, because it helps prevent problems such as excessive shedding, skin and paw irritation, painful hair mats, and excessively long toenails," said Jennifer Freeman, DVM, PetSmart resident veterinarian and pet care expert. "When scheduling a grooming appointment, it is a good idea to have a conversation with your groomer before the first appointment to review any pre-existing health conditions to ensure the stylist knows how to best customize the service to your pet's needs, temperament and health."

PetSmart is making it even easier and more convenient for pet parents to check grooming off their pet care list each month. Pet parents can now book their pet's grooming appointment more quickly at the PetSmart Grooming Salon through the newly updated PetSmart app.

"Through our updated PetSmart app, pet parents can personalize their pet's appointment by selecting the groomer, preferred time and service requested, and receive their invoice on their phone, allowing them an easier checkout and payment process once in the store," said Debbie Beisswanger, vice president of services at PetSmart. "It's a great way for our customers to customize their pet's grooming experience from booking to payment, all through the app."

In between professional grooming services, there are a variety of ways pet parents can keep their dogs' coats well maintained. Bathing with special pet shampoo like Top Paw® Oatmeal Baking Soda Shampoo provides the right balance of cleaning agents and moisturizers for a softer and healthier looking coat.

Beyond regular brushing and combing with products like the CHI® Double Sided Dog Brush and the Top Paw® 3-in-1 Wet-Dry Pet Grooming Glove, products like BARK beauty™ Deodorizing Mist and Top Paw® Fresh Cucumber Melon Multi-Purpose Dog Wipes are easy ways to keep your pets looking and smelling clean for longer.

For more information or to book your pet's next bath or groom, download the PetSmart app or visit petsmart.ca/grooming.

*Survey methodology
A total of 1,600 pet owners were surveyed—800 dog owners and 800 cat owners by DART Insight and Communications Inc. Using a Bayesian Credibility Interval, the national combined pet owner's results are deemed to be accurate to +/- 2.8%, 19 times out of 20; dog and cat owners weighted to 800 sample each are deemed to be accurate to +/- 4.0, 19 times out of 20. A copy of the analysis and data are available at http://dartincom.ca/polls/.

About PetSmart®
In Canada, 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, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. PetSmart employs approximately 4,800 associates and operates more than 140 pet stores in Canada, as well as eight in-store PetSmart PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. The retailer provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding at PetSmart Doggie Day Camp™ and pet adoption. PetSmart and PetSmart Charities® of Canada work with more than 200 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 300,000 adoptions, more than any other brick-and-mortar organization.

Find PetSmart on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/PetSmartCanada
See PetSmart on Instagram: @PetSmartCanada 
Follow PetSmart on Twitter: @PetSmart
See PetSmart on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/PetSmart
PetSmart homepage: http://www.petsmart.ca

SOURCE PetSmart Canada

For further information: Nikki Altman, Golin for PetSmart Charities of Canada, 647.475.4494, [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.petsmart.com/