San Diego Fires: Helping Animals in Need

As the San Diego wildfires continue to rage, over 1 million people have been evacuated from their homes. Its still too early to know the full extent of the damage and destruction, but it has been extensive. I found this photo (at left) from www.signonsandiego.com it really conveys the sense of horror of these fires. I left San Diego on Monday when my condo in Scripps Ranch was evacuated. I went back to Palm Springs and spent today working from home. I am doing my part to help the "crisis management team", providing assistance and support to pet parents that have been evacuated and displaced in shelters with their pets. Our field operations management team have been working around the clock to deliver animal supplies to shelters, deliver kennels, cages, bowls, leashes and food wherever needed. Although I am working remotely, my role has been to work closely with our vendor partners to coordinate donations of supplies.

Today there was a call for bird seed, hay for horses, kennels and crates for dogs and cats, and leashes for dogs. Many people who fled their homes did not have time to gather all these supplies, and now find themselves at a makeshift shelter trying to care for their beloved pet. I continue to be impressed by the good nature and generosity of the many vendor partners that we work with everyday.

The PETCO team have been focused on supporting our stores and helping animals in need. So many employees have pitched in to help deliver supplies, and volunteer at public shelters. A few of our stores were short-handed due to employees unable to get to work. Employees from our national support center (corporate office) worked in the stores to help customers and keep things running smoothly. I am proud to work for PETCO, we are a company with a lot of energy and passion. The fires are still quite serious, and far from over, but it helps to know there are so many people with kind hearts and plenty of compassion. At PETCO, that is exactly what we're about.

Above: Horses evacuated in advance of raging fires in San Diego. There are many horses being cared for, we have been working to help provide feed, bales of hay and supplies to keep these horses safe and healthy.
-Rick Rockhill