# What's the deal with Petsmart when they allow rescue events?



## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

Last night we adopted from a rescue that held an adoption event outside of their front entrance. To me that seemed like an awesome thing to do. *And it seemed to me to make great sense for Petsmart.... people get new dogs, they go in the store and buy stuff for it... and that happened.... but it doesn't end there.*

You have to go inside and checkout the dog, just like you were buying dog biscuits. You pay the shelter, but Petsmart gives the receipt. Plus they do NOT LET YOU adopt unless you purchase a $20 laser engraved name tag for your dog.

Now this is not what the rescue does, because I was at the same rescue a week before at a vet's office, and if approved, you just pay and take the dog. 

So why all this extra stuff from Petsmart?


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## JulieK1967 (May 29, 2011)

That could be a deal the rescue has made with Petsmart. I adopted my puppy at an adoption event held at a local pet store chain. There were no requirements that I do any business with the pet store at all. I paid the adoption fee to the rescue group & that was it. I did buy some supplies at that store but that was purely for my own convenience.


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## Bones (Sep 11, 2009)

Never held an adoption event at petsmart- but that seems a bit ridiculous. We do ours at PetSupplies Plus and they don't impose fees on us or the adopters.


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

Bones said:


> Never held an adoption event at petsmart- but that seems a bit ridiculous. We do ours at PetSupplies Plus and they don't impose fees on us or the adopters.


I know you aren't saying you don't believe me, but I will try to take a picture of the receipt and the tag, so others will.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

A shelter had adoptable dogs at Pet Co; you filled out the application and paid the adoption counselor right there, had nothing to do with the store


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## katielou (Apr 29, 2010)

Papa Deuce said:


> Last night we adopted from a rescue that held an adoption event outside of their front entrance. To me that seemed like an awesome thing to do. *And it seemed to me to make great sense for Petsmart.... people get new dogs, they go in the store and buy stuff for it... and that happened.... but it doesn't end there.*
> 
> You have to go inside and checkout the dog, just like you were buying dog biscuits. You pay the shelter, but Petsmart gives the receipt. Plus they do NOT LET YOU adopt unless you purchase a $20 laser engraved name tag for your dog.
> 
> ...


Petsmart give you the receipt because they are the ones responsible for the insurance they have to run the events there. They also will call you on behalf of the rescue a couple of times within the next months for their "trainers" to see if they offer any free advice on settling the dog in ect

As for the tag i have never seen that at the petsmarts i have worked at but i don't think its a bad thing at all.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I think it's a good idea to require people to get a tag, but $20 for a tag is ridiculous. Even my favorite high-end tags cost less than that, and I'm sure the Petsmart tags aren't as well made (if they're from that crummy machine that doesn't engrave deep enough). Are you sure they were requiring it or just strongly encouraging/upselling it?


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

Willowy said:


> I think it's a good idea to require people to get a tag, but $20 for a tag is ridiculous. Even my favorite high-end tags cost less than that, and I'm sure the Petsmart tags aren't as well made (if they're from that crummy machine that doesn't engrave deep enough). Are you sure they were requiring it or just strongly encouraging/upselling it?


It was that machine, and they required it. They scan the UPC code with the other things from the adoption. They told me I had to pick one.


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## Daenerys (Jul 30, 2011)

FWIW not all the tags are $20...I got all my pets tags from Petsmart and the most I paid for one was $12 and I CHOSE to get that one at the higher price. Some were just $8 with engraving. And the engraving isn't bad, seems good enough to me. Plus the tags come with a protective plastic sticky thing you place over the engraving to prevent it from being worn off. Here is all the available tags: http://www.petsmart.com/family/inde.../PET/2767123&fbc=1&fbn=Taxonomy|ID+Tags&fbx=0


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Papa Deuce said:


> It was that machine, and they required it. They scan the UPC code with the other things from the adoption. They told me I had to pick one.


That kind of makes it sound like it was included with the adoption--a lot of groups do that. I've just never seen an ID tag that cost $20. . .


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## Papa Deuce (Mar 26, 2007)

Well, not all were $20. But most were $18.95 or so... some were less.


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## RaeganW (Jul 14, 2009)

Was it a new machine?

When I got my first dog, I went to Petsmart to get a tag for him. It's an engraved blue metal bone, pretty much the ubiquitous dog tag. When I got my second dog a couple years later, they had changed the machine. The tags are, overall, much larger and heavier. And, uglier and more expensive. Marsh has a gold medalian with writing on the other side and a thin protective plastic over the writing. I hate it, but I was driving to the airport to pick him up and needed one right exactly then so I didn't have much choice.

If the machine was new, it could have been some kind of promotional event sort of thing or something.


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## Blue_Heeler (Jul 31, 2011)

InkedMarie said:


> A shelter had adoptable dogs at Pet Co; you filled out the application and paid the adoption counselor right there, had nothing to do with the store


Exactly. I had an adoption event at my store today in fact. I don't touch the rescue's paperwork OR adoption fee. I do have an "adoption" form for the adopter's to fill out but that's to get a free coupon booklet (well worth their time) but they don't even have to give that to me, they can give it to the rescue group. IF they want to purchase supplies they're more then welcome but I don't require them to give me a single penny. The whole idea is to encourage adoption over purchase. Requiring someone to purchase something from me isn't why I invite the groups into the store, just a pleasant add on when it happens.


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