AvoDerm® Natural Pet Foods, Nylabone® and Pets Add Life® Invite Baseball Fans to Take Their Canine Pals out to the Ballgame During the 2018 Bark at the Park Tour

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WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Central Garden & Pet brands, AvoDerm® Natural Pet Foods and Nylabone® and The American Pet Products Association (APPA) are teaming up again this season with several Major League Baseball® teams on a campaign to promote pet adoption and raise awareness about the powerful bond between people and their pets. The Bark at the Park tour will make seven stops this season including games featuring the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers. Fans will be able to purchase tickets for themselves and their dogs, join in a pre-game parade around the field and enjoy pet-friendly activities and free product samples. The season-long program will include in-store messaging at local independent retailers in select markets, public service announcements, national PR and media, charitable fundraising and direct engagement with fans at ballparks across the country.

“More than 30,000 dogs and their families have attended our Bark at the Park events over the years,” said Jim Heim, President of Business Development for Central Garden & Pet. “Our pets are part of our families and people are including their pets in family trips and activities. Baseball has really embraced this trend over the last decade and we are proud to have helped develop and promote the concept through our various team partnerships.”

The American Pet Products Association’s Pets Add Life or “PAL” campaign that promotes the joys and benefits of pet ownership will again be featured throughout the tour with fans encouraged to share their pal’s picture on social media.

“Clinical research has shown that having pets in our lives adds extraordinary benefits and improves our overall quality of life,” added Bob Vetere, APPA President and CEO. “Bark at the Park offers us a great way to spread our message and engage with fans who are passionate about their pets.”

Hall of Fame manager and Vice President/Special Assistant with the Boston Red Sox, Tony La Russa returns as the tour’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 including their Pets For Vets program which provides dogs and trains them to be service dogs for military veterans in need.

“Central Garden & Pet and the APPA are big supporters of ARF’s mission to save dogs and cats who have run out of time at public shelters and bring people and animals together,” said La Russa. “ARF is honored to partner with AvoDerm, Nylabone and Pets Add Life to help bring Bark at the Park events to hundreds of thousands of families and fans across the country.”

The first Bark at the Park Presented AvoDerm, Nylabone and PAL will take place at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX on Saturday April 7th when the Texas Rangers host the Toronto Blue Jays and an estimated 600 dogs and their families. Tickets, which are expected to sell out quickly, for the first event and all the Bark at the Park games can be purchased through the teams’ official web sites.

About Central Garden & Pet

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) (NASDAQ: CENTA) is a leading innovator, producer and distributor of branded and private label 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®, and OVER-N-OUT®; fertilizer and the brands PENNINGTON® and IRONITE®; 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™, COMFORT ZONE®, FARNAM®, HORSE HEALTH™ and VITAFLEX®; aquatics and reptile and the brands AQUEON®, CORALIFE®, SEGREST™ and ZILLA®; bird & small animal and the brands KAYTEE®, Forti-Diet® and CRITTER TRAIL®; and dog & cat and the brands TFH™, NYLABONE®, FOUR PAWS®, IMS®, CADET®, DMC™, K&H Pet Products™, PINNACLE® and AVODERM®. 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 4,200 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 our own 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 our 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 PAL on Facebook more information.

Central Garden & Pet
Mark Newberg
847-330-5367 Office
847-722-6754 Mobile
mnewberg@central.com

Source: Central Garden & Pet

Released March 22, 2018