Pet store has a new mission: preventing animal homelessness
Chico’s Natural Pet Market in Barcroft Plaza has come up with a whole new concept for preventing animal homelessness and matching rescue pets with potential pet parents.
Instead of focusing solely on the adoption process, Chico’s will ensure long-term success by providing education and counseling so that pets are not as likely to be returned or abandoned.
The community is invited to a meeting at the store, at 6349A Columbia Pike, on July 25, 5 p.m., to learn more. At the meeting, Chico’s owner Danielle Areco wants to hear what people’s top needs are in terms of being successful pet owners.
“The way we were doing things was not working,” Areco says. Too many people adopt a pet, then have to give them up. The number-one reason is because they move and their new place doesn’t allow pets or charges an exorbitant pet fee, she says. Also, people sometimes have to give up their pets due to financial hardships when they can no longer afford pet food or vet bills.
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| Chico’s volunteer Reba Combs and Danielle Areco in the store’s soon-to-be remodeled cat adoption area. |
On any given day, there are an estimated 70 million homeless dogs and cats struggling to survive, Areco notes. When shelters are full, they turn away animals in order to keep their “no-kill” status. Animal rescue groups also refuse to take back pets that owners have to surrender. As a result, too many pets end up forced to fend for themselves.
People interested in adopting a rescue cat from Chico’s will attend a counseling session first to ensure a successful match.
Areco also plans to set up support groups for pet parents around specific issues such as allergies or first-time pet owners. For example, if someone finds they are allergic to cats, the group will discuss solutions around addressing the allergies – with air purifiers, for example – so they won’t have to give up the cat.
Members of the community are invited to join Friends of Chico Animal Rescue Mission to help guide these efforts.
Areco is also planning to remodel the cat rescue operation in the store. There will be just eight cats available at any one time, and they will have an open space area to play and interact with potential pet parents.
While Areco plans to focus on cats, Chico’s will also help people interested in adopting dogs, rabbits, or other animals.
Related story: Two dogs win Chico’s Top Pet Model contest
She would also like to get the community involved in lobbying efforts to support pet parents. Landlords should not be allowed to discriminate against pet parents, she says, by charging them extra fees, when kids cause as much damage. Landlords shouldn’t ban pets unless they have a very good reason and shouldn’t ban or charge extra for pit bulls.
Also, people should be entitled to a tax break for pet care and should get a day off work if their pet dies, just like they do if a family member dies, she says, “Animals are part of your family, just like children.”
7 responses to “Pet store has a new mission: preventing animal homelessness”
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OMG, this could not be more hilarious!
What's next? DACA for kittens?
I hope they don't discriminate homeless deer and foxes,
thats plain racist!
…you have a problem
A private business comes up with a creative and caring solution for a significant problem…isn't that what most reasonable people want? Your attempt to be clever is not so clever.
Move along now.
What a wonderful article thank you so much, just a clarification the Rescues and Shelters will take back the animals when the person have adopted from them. Actually it is part of the contract that they MUST return to the agency they adopted from. However sometimes people do not inform that they are moving or rehoming that animal, or will do something else. It is very rare is that a Rescue (due to many factors including availability) will accept an owner surrender that did not adopt from them. Bottom line, our proposal is to AVOID such situations and Intervene prior to surrender or abandonment.
Danielle, thank you for speaking up and helping those who can't speak for themselves.
Thank you and I hope to see you at the meeting today!