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On your bark, get set, go! PETCO is calling all pint-sized racers with larger-than-life personalities to get ready to race during the Fifth Annual PETCO National Chihuahua Races.

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

Seven regional competitions will be held in a race across the country from the West Coast to the East Coast over three weekends in August. The contest will come to a head at the national championship race in New York City, where one tiny speedster will claim the first-place title and bragging rights as America's fastest Chihuahua. The finals will also sport a new format, with racers competing in three separate heats, earning points in each one to determine the winner. Participants can secure a spot at the races by registering now at www.petco.com/races.

"This year we're not only racing from the West Coast to the East Coast, we're also using the races as a way to show people how easy, safe and fulfilling it can be to be 'on the go' with our four-legged companions - or how to best arrange for their safe and comfortable care back home while away on vacation," said Greg Seremetis, PETCO director of marketing services.

Harrison Forbes, host of the nationally syndicated radio show Pet Talk, will travel across the nation with PETCO, making appearances and reporting on the crowds of tiny speed racers and their cheering squads in Orange County, Dallas and Miami. The seven regional competitions will be held in the following markets:

  REGIONAL EVENTS

  WEST: Aug. 1                  MID WEST: Aug. 8            EAST: Aug. 15
  Orange County                 Chicago                     Miami
  San Francisco Bay Area        Dallas                      Boston
                                                            Philadelphia

The regional winners - one pup from each market - will win an all-expense-paid trip, courtesy of PETCO and Jet Blue Airlines, to race head-to-head at the finals in New York City on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.

Only one will triumph to win the coveted title of America's Fastest Chihuahua, a trophy, a $300 PETCO gift card and a year's supply of Royal Canin Chihuahua food - approximately 12 times the average Chihuahua's weight.

Chihuahuas are the 12th most popular purebred dog breed in the country, according to the American Kennel Club. They are also considered the smallest and lightest dogs in the world.

In partnership with the PETCO Foundation, the races also highlight PETCO's Think Adoption First philosophy to help find forever homes for abandoned Chihuahuas and other animals.

"During the PETCO National Chihuahua races we celebrate the human-animal bond and remind people that there are millions of adoptable pets - including Chihuahuas - waiting for loving homes," said Paul Jolly, executive director of the PETCO Foundation, celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2009.

Those interested in participating in the regional races can visit PETCO.com/races for more details and to sign up. For those on Facebook, visit facebook.com/PETCO to connect with other racers and fans in your area.

About PETCO

PETCO is a privately held specialty retailer that provides products, services and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. We operate more than 950 stores in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading pet products and information destination at PETCO.com. Our nonprofit organization, the PETCO Foundation, has raised more than $50 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the foundation, we work with and support more than 5,700 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 200,000 adoptable animals every year.

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SOURCE: PETCO