The down economy has left many pet owners struggling to buy food for their animals. Now, a national pet store chain is teaming up with a North Texas charity to help.
Every time someone goes shopping at PETCO in Highland Village, the store hopes the customer will remember pets whose owners are struggling financially to buy them food.
"A lot of families come in that are used to feeding their pets higher quality foods that are looking for kind of cheaper opportunities through sales," Kimberly Destefani, the store's general manager, said.
To help those families, 20 PETCO stores across North Texas are collecting donations of wet and dry dog and cat food and cat litter. The food goes to local food banks, where one in eight Americans go to get food for the people in their families.
"Many of these families have pets. So there's been a growing opportunity to make sure that all these families that are having tough economic times can also keep their pets at home," Destefani said.
The SPCA of Texas says their shelters and others simply don't have enough room for the thousands upon thousands of dogs and cats that are brought in each year. Many pet owners say they can no longer afford to take care of their animals.
"Some people have lost their homes," Maura Davies, senior director of communications, said. "Anything that's going to help keep pets in homes is going to be a wonderful thing."
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SPCA of Texas offers a low-cost spays, neuters, and vaccines for $10 each for the many pet owners who also are having a hard time paying for veterinary care.
