Despite Falling 142 Dogs Short of the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title for Most Dogs Attending a Sporting Event, PetSmart® Says World-Record Run at Chase Field Was a Doggone Success

PetSmart® and Arizona Diamondbacks Hosted 858 Dogs at Today’s
Baseball Game, Coming Close to Setting an Official GUINNESS WORLD
RECORDS Title

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Exactly 858 dogs paraded, gobbled treats and took in some baseball at
Chase Field earlier today as PetSmart, the Arizona Diamondbacks and
Central Garden & Pet attempted to set a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for
the Most Dogs Attending a Sporting Event. While the group came up
short – just 142 dogs shy of the 1,000 dogs needed to set the record –
the total number of dogs was more than double previous Bark at the Park
events at Chase Field. PetSmart says this feat speaks to pet parents’
enthusiasm for including their best friends in cherished activities,
including America’s favorite pastime.

“We had a blast earlier today and are thrilled that so many pets and
their pet parents joined us for this historic event,” said Eran Cohen,
chief customer experience officer, PetSmart. “We believe involving our
beloved pets in more of life’s memorable moments is what being a pet
parent truly is all about. We sincerely thank all of the dog-loving
baseball fans who took part in our GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt –
there is always next year!”

According to the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS organization, this was the first
official attempt for this record. A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Adjudicator
was on hand to account for the dogs entering Chase Field and called the
total number at the end of the second inning.

The GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt was heavily aided by the national
kick-off of Bark at the Park at Chase Field, a traveling 12 game
dog-friendly program where dog-loving fans can bring their best friends
to a baseball game at stadiums across America. This year’s Bark at the
Park program is hosted by Central Garden & Pet, the parent company of
Nylabone® and AvoDerm® Natural Pet Foods, as well as PetSmart.

Dogs and their pet parents can continue to take in D-backs games on the
PetSmart Patio during the Dog Days of Summer, where all Sunday home
games are dog-friendly. The PetSmart Patio features 30 “doggie suites”
each accommodating four humans and one dog and all the human and doggie
treats fans can eat. Adoptable dogs are also available at The Adopt
Spot by PetSmart at Chase Field, where local animal welfare
organizations feature dogs ready to find their forever homes among the
D-backs’ fan base. There were 15 adoptable dogs at the world record
attempt from the Arizona Animal Welfare League (AAWL); all were included
in the count and nine pups were adopted as of the end of the sixth
inning. Lucky dog Hyde, who was with the AAWL shelter for more than 200
days, found his forever home.

Take in a baseball game with your dog! There are 10 more Dog Days of
Summer games in the 2016 D-backs season. Go to www.dbacks.com/dogdays
to purchase tickets. There are 11 more games in the national Bark at the
Park series schedule. Go to www.petsmart.com/barkatthepark.

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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Contacts

Golin for PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
or
PetSmart
Media Line, 623-587-2177
or
D-backs Communications,
602-462-6519
or
Katie Krause, 210-279-6793