PetSmart®, AvoDerm® Natural Pet Foods, Nylabone® Team up to Expand Bark at the Park for 2016 MLB Season

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Four More Games Added to Bark at the Park Program so More Fans can Enjoy America’s Favorite Pastime with their Best Friend

PHOENIX & WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With the season openers of many Major League Baseball teams just weeks away, Central Garden & Pet, the parent of AvoDerm Natural Pet Foods and Nylabone, together with the nation’s leading pet retailer, PetSmart, jointly announced today that they are expanding the Bark at the Park series to include four additional games where pet parents and their dogs can together enjoy America’s favorite pastime – a baseball game.

Central is partnering with 12 Major League Baseball teams to hold 12 Bark at the Park events at their home games, including the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks. At each of the Bark at the Park games, in addition to taking in the excitement of Major League Baseball, fans and their dogs can join in a pre-game parade around the field and enjoy a PetSmart-hosted activities center including dog-friendly ice cream samples, photo ops, Pet Expression dog-friendly painted stencils featuring the logos of the teams playing that day, give-aways and discount coupons.

“Since 2005 when we first launched this program with the Oakland As, we have watched the magic that happens when man’s best friend and America’s favorite pastime come together,” said Jim Heim, President of Business Development for Central Garden & Pet. “Last year more than 5,000 dogs and their families enjoyed a day or evening at the ballpark in what has become one of the most popular promotions in all of sports. In 2016, we are adding four more teams to join in the fun and celebrate the importance of pets in our lives. By teaming up with major league baseball and our amazing retail and animal welfare partners, we are able to build awareness, as well as promote adoption, responsible pet ownership and animal health and welfare. It’s the perfect win-win situation for all involved.”

The Bark at the Park 2016 season will launch on May 1 when the Diamondbacks host the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field in Phoenix, also PetSmart’s home town and headquarters location.

“PetSmart truly values the time pet parents spend with their beloved pets, and we want to help enrich the experiences they share together – including a baseball game!” said Eran Cohen, chief customer experience officer, PetSmart, Inc. “We are thrilled to team up with Central Garden & Pet to help expand the national Bark at the Park series with additional games so more pet parents can have the opportunity to enjoy this favorite pastime with their best friends.”

Hall of Fame manager and Chief Baseball Officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tony La Russa, returns as the program’s official ambassador and will help promote the program through a public service campaign at participating ballparks encouraging people to adopt a new pet or a pal for their current pet. La Russa is the co-founder and Chairman of the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) who will again receive donations from Central Garden & Pet and the teams to support ARF’s many initiatives as part of the program.

“ARF is excited to partner with AvoDerm, Nylabone, PetSmart, and the American Pet Products Association (APPA) to help bring Bark at the Park events to thousands of families,” said La Russa. “Central Garden & Pet is a long-time supporter of ARF’s mission to save dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters and to help bring people and animals together. Our ties to baseball obviously run deep and this partnership showcases my favorite passions… baseball, family and pets.”

In addition to the partnership with ARF, AvoDerm Natural Pet Foods and Nylabone will promote responsible pet ownership, pet welfare, pet health and nutrition and pet adoption through a strategic alliance with the American Pet Products Association’s Pets Add Life (PAL) campaign. Bob Vetere, APPA President and CEO added, “Our participation with Bark at the Park has proven to be a very positive extension of our Pets Add Life (PAL) social media program. Partnering with the increasing number of teams joining this effort to help us promote responsible pet ownership has encouraged us to grow our commitment again this year.”

Bark at the Park Schedule

May 1: Arizona D-backs host Colorado Rockies

May 14: Texas Rangers host Toronto Blue Jays

May 20: Philadelphia Phillies host Atlanta Braves

June 5: Miami Marlins host the New York Mets

June 21: Detroit Tigers host the Seattle Mariners

July 9: Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Diego Padres

July 22: Oakland Athletics host the Tampa Bay Rays

August 9: Seattle Mariners host the Detroit Tigers

August 16: Colorado Rockies host the Washington Nationals

August 28: Houston Astros host the Tampa Bay Rays

September 13: Chicago White Sox host the Cleveland Indians

September 21: New York Mets host the Atlanta Braves

In other dog-friendly MLB news, separately PetSmart and the D-backs announced the Dog Days of Summer, a season-long program with permanent dog-friendly facilities at Chase Field in Phoenix including a PetSmart Patio where groups of four people and one dog can enjoy a ballgame for 13 D-backs’ home games, as well as in-door and out-door dog parks. May 1 is the launch of Bark at the Park and also coincides with the third Dog Days of Summer game – both at Chase Field. Through this unique combination of dog-friendly opportunities, 600-plus dogs are expected at Chase Field.

Promotion for the Bark at the Park program will include in-store messaging featured at PetSmart’s more than 1,400 stores along with other local independent retailers, public service announcements, national PR efforts, social media, fundraising events, and direct engagement with fans at ballparks across the country. Bark at the Park tickets are expected to sell out quickly and can be purchased through each team’s official website.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading innovator, marketer and producer of quality branded products for the lawn & garden and pet supplies markets. Committed to new product innovation, our products are sold to specialty independent and mass retailers. Participating categories in Lawn & Garden include: Grass seed and the brands PENNINGTON®, and THE REBELS®; wild bird feed and the brand PENNINGTON®; weed and insect control and the brands AMDRO®, SEVIN®, IRONITE® and OVER-N-OUT®; and decorative outdoor patio products under the PENNINGTON ® brand. We also provide a host of other regional and application-specific garden brands and supplies. Participating categories in Pet include: Animal health and the brands ADAMS™ and ZODIAC®; aquatics and reptile and the brands AQUEON®, CORALIFE® and ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, Forti-Diet® and CRITTER TRAIL®; dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, IMS™, CADET®, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®; and equine and the brands FARNAM®, HORSE HEALTH™ and VITAFLEX®. We also provide a host of other application-specific pet brands and supplies. Central Garden & Pet Company is based in Walnut Creek, California, and has approximately 3,700 employees, primarily in North America. For additional information on Central Garden & Pet Company, including access to the Company's SEC filings, please visit the Company’s website at www.central.com.

About Nylabone® Products

Nylabone® Products is a respected producer of premium pet products, and the leader in safe, healthy chewing for over 50 years®. Nylabone is a division of T.F.H. Publications, Inc., the world’s most distinguished publisher of high-quality care and training books for pets, and a founding member of the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association (APPMA). Nylabone is recognized for its excellence, quality, innovation and leadership in today’s pet industry. Its patented and patent-pending products are frequently industry award-winners. T.F.H./Nylabone is a subsidiary of Central Garden & Pet Company. For more information, visit www.nylabone.com.

About AvoDerm® Natural Pet Food

Good health shows and it starts with the optimum nutrition of AvoDerm Natural dog and cat food recipes. Made with premium quality proteins and omega-rich avocados, AvoDerm uses no fillers or animal by-product meals and is manufactured in the Company’s facility in Irwindale, California. Natural avocados are a rich source of the vitamins, fatty acids, and antioxidants that pets need for balanced nutrition, along with a healthy skin and coat. What AvoDerm’s recipes do on the inside, shows on the outside. For more information, visit www.avodermnatural.com.

About ARF

ARF’s core mission is the rescue of dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters, giving them a chance at life until a new home can be found. ARF couples this mission with innovative programs strengthening the human-animal bond for children, seniors, veterans, and people in disadvantaged circumstances. Through ARF, people experience the unconditional love and acceptance of dogs and cats to fulfill a mission of “People Rescuing Animals... Animals Rescuing People…”® Visit www.arflife.org for more information.

About Pets Add Life

Pets Add Life (PAL) is a national campaign established by the American Pet Products Association (APPA) to promote the joys and benefits pets of all types bring to our lives. PAL encourages responsible pet ownership and adoption, and ultimately works to spread the message of the joys associated with adding a pet to your life! Visit www.petsaddlife.org or facebook.com/petsaddlife for more information.

About PetSmart

PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This mission impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 53,000 associates, operate approximately 1,433 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and approximately 202 in-store PetSmart® PetsHotel® dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products and offers dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp day care services and pet adoption services in-store. Our portfolio of digital resources for pet parents –including PetSmart.com, PetFoodDirect.com, Pet360.com and petMD.com – offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. Through our in-store pet adoption partnership with independent nonprofit organizations, PetSmart Charities™ and PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, PetSmart helps to save the lives of more than 450,000 homeless pets each year. In addition, PetSmart supports organizations that make communities a better place to call home through our philanthropy program, PetSmart Gives Back™. By giving back to the communities where we live and work, PetSmart not only celebrates the power of pets to enrich people's lives—we live it.

Central Garden & Pet
Mark Newberg, 847-330-5367 (Office)
mnewberg@central.com
847-722-6754 (Mobile)
or
PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com

Source: Central Garden & Pet

Released March 16, 2016