Petsmart 2011 Annual Report Download - page 15

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PetSmart Charities®and Adoptions
PetSmart Charities, Inc., an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization and the largest funder of animal-
welfare grants in North America, creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets and raise
awareness of companion animal-welfare issues. PetSmart Charities creates and supports programs to end the
euthanasia of adoptable pets and to help find a lifelong loving home for every pet by:
• Facilitating the largest collective pet adoption program in North America that is responsible for approx-
imately 400,000 adoptions annually and nearly 5 million since 1994. PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers
are located in every PetSmart store in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, where local animal-
welfare agencies use space donated by PetSmart to find homes for cats and dogs.
• Providing grant funding to animal-welfare agencies for spay/neuter efforts that have helped reduce the
homeless-pet population, shelter intake and euthanasia.
• Operating life-saving programs such as the Rescue Waggin’®dog transport program and emergency relief
assistance for pets affected by large-scale natural disasters and man-made emergencies.
Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has funded more than $165 million in grants and programs benefiting
animal-welfare organizations.
Government Regulation
We are subject to various federal, state, provincial and local laws and regulations governing, among other
things: our relationships with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions
and citizenship requirements; veterinary practices or the operation of veterinary hospitals in retail stores that may
impact our ability to operate veterinary hospitals in certain facilities; the transportation, handling and sale of
small pets; the generation, handling, storage, transportation and disposal of waste and biohazardous materials; the
manufacturing and distribution, import/export and sale of products; the handling, security, protection and use of
customer and associate information; and the licensing and certification of services.
We seek to structure our operations to comply with all federal, state, provincial and local laws and regu-
lations of each jurisdiction in which we operate. Given varying and uncertain interpretations of these laws and
regulations, and the fact the laws and regulations are enforced by the courts and regulatory authorities with broad
discretion, we can make no assurances we would be found to be in compliance in all jurisdictions at all times. We
also could be subject to costs, including fines, penalties or sanctions and third-party claims as a result of viola-
tions of, or liabilities under, these laws and regulations.
Intellectual Property
We believe our intellectual property has significant value and is an important component in our merchandis-
ing and marketing strategies. Some of our intellectual property includes numerous servicemarks and trademarks
registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or “USPTO,” including: PetSmart®,
PetSmart.com®, PetSmart PetsHotel®, PetPerks®, and Where Pets Are Family®, as well as many others. We also
have several servicemark and trademark applications that are pending with the USPTO and anticipate filing addi-
tional applications in the future. We also own numerous registered servicemarks, trademarks and pending
applications in other countries, including Canada, as well as several trade names, domain names and copyrights
for use in our business.
Employees
As of January 29, 2012, we employed approximately 50,000 associates, of which approximately 23,000
were employed full-time. We continue to invest in education and training for our full and part-time associates as
part of our emphasis on customer service and providing pet care solutions. We are not subject to collective bar-
gaining agreements and have not experienced work stoppages. We consider our relationship with our associates
to be a positive one.
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