ETHICAL VENDOR STANDARDS:
Petco continues to be a leader in ethical vendor standards for animals, including requiring all Petco live animal vendors to participate in the Petco Vendor Certification and Standards of Excellence Program. As part of this program, all vendors are inspected and must pass a rigorous certification process.
WE CHOOSE AQUACULTURED:
Whenever possible, Petco sources aquatic life that is aquacultured— born, bred and raised in an aquarium environment—rather than taken from the oceans. More than 95 percent of the aquatic life we offer, including all of our freshwater fish and corals, is aquacultured.
AMERICAN HUMANE CERTIFICATION:
In 2022, Petco became the first pet retailer in history to be awarded the coveted American Humane CertifiedTM seal of approval. Further advancing our long-standing standards for animal care, we proactively invited American Humane to conduct independent on-site audits and observations of the behavior of, as well as the veterinary care, habitats, nutrition and safety provided to the pets and aquatic life in our care. Following rigorous independent audits of Petco locations and vendor facilities American Humane – the largest certifier of animal welfare – certified the pets enjoy excellent attention at every step of their journey to their new families.
POSITIVE TRAINING METHODS:
Petco offers Positive Dog Training classes focused on promoting a relationship of mutual respect and trust between pets and pet parents. Our classes use positive, voluntary and reward- based training methods to teach pet parents how our dogs think, learn and communicate, and how to encourage appropriate behavior for the real world.
THINK ADOPTION FIRST ®:
Petco has never sold cats or dogs and, in 2008, we stopped selling rabbits as well. Dogs, cats and rabbits are the three most popular pets in the U.S.; they are also the three most often relinquished to animal shelters. We follow and promote a Think Adoption First philosophy, which strongly encourages prospective pet parents to consider adopting a homeless animal rather than purchasing one. We work with thousands of local animal welfare organizations to offer dogs, cats, rabbits and other companion animals for adoption in our stores.