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Saturday, March 6, was a good day for animals in San Diego County thanks to viewers and individual contributors in the community, as well as PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. and the PETCO Foundation, whose sponsorship of the San Diego Humane Society telethon helped raise close to $240,000 for the local animal welfare group.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030603/PETCOLOGO )

PETCO and the PETCO Foundation contributed $25,000 San Diego Humane Society and SPCA telethon, and have also named the local animal welfare organization as the recipient of 50% of the funds raised in their 19 San Diego area stores during the "Spring A Pet" fundraiser. Last year's Spring A Pet campaign raised more than $30,000 in San Diego, and approximately $1.2 million nationwide for animal welfare.

During Spring A Pet, which runs from now until April 11, PETCO customers, vendors and associates have the opportunity to donate $1, $5, $10 or $20, and each donor will receive a cardstock animal card that will be displayed with their personal message in their neighborhood PETCO store. Donors of $20 or more also will receive a Red Ruff or Blue Mews custom bookmark. Customers will also have the opportunity to "round up" their purchases to the next dollar, with all proceeds going to the Spring a Pet fundraiser.

"The support of the public and organizations like PETCO and the PETCO Foundation is integral to the success of our efforts on behalf of animals," Dr. Mark Goldstein, D.V.M., Director of the San Diego Humane Society, said. "We also want to thank the many people in the community who called in pledges or stopped by the shelter to adopt an orphaned animal."

Giving from the community is what made the event so successful.

"It is so wonderful to see the community respond to the needs of the animals," PETCO Foundation Director Paul Jolly, a San Diego native, said. "The San Diego Humane Society is an excellent organization, and these funds will no doubt help the betterment of these wonderful companions' lives."

Serving San Diego County for over 120 years, the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA provides vital services to animals and people alike through sheltering and adopting animals, providing positive reinforcement behavior training for adoptable animals and for owned animals through public training classes, investigating animal cruelty and neglect, providing adult and youth education programs, sharing animals through pet-assisted therapy and rescuing animals in emergency situations.

PETCO (PETC -- NASDAQ) is a leading specialty retailer of premium pet food and supplies, with a commitment to quality animal care and education. PETCO's strategy is to offer its customers a complete assortment of pet-related products and services at competitive prices, with superior levels of customer service at convenient locations, by hiring pet lovers and training them to become counselors to our pet-loving customers. PETCO operates more than 660 neighborhood stores in 43 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading destination for on-line pet food and supplies at www.petco.com. The PETCO Foundation, PETCO's non-profit organization, has raised more than $15 million since inception in 1999. More than 1,900 non-profit grassroots animal welfare organizations from around the nation have received support from the Foundation. Through the PETCO Foundation, PETCO endeavors to be a community leader in promoting the welfare of companion animals, as well as the importance of the human-animal bond.

SOURCE: PETCO