UPDATE: Representatives from PETCO have been very willing to listen to our concerns and consider other options. On April 6, 2009, I had a lengthy phone meeting with them. A possible resolution would be an alliance with an organization, such as PSI (who they are considering meeting with), that allows ALL professional sitters to be members and listed in their directory. This would be a great step in the right direction for EVERYONE--PETCO, sitters, customers and the pets loved by us all. Considering all the animal related good works that PETCO is engaged in, I'm hopeful that a resolution can be reached that will allow everyone to continue to support those works. Please let PETCO know your thoughts. If you've already signed the petition you cannot sign again, but you can call them and let them know your thoughts about how much better an alliance with PSI versus a franchise would be. The number for their customer relations is
1-888-824-7257.
In a press release dated April 30, 2009, PETCO announced its partnership with Fetch! Pet Care. Specifically, the release said:
"PETCO, a leading pet specialty retailer with more than 950 locations across the country, will exclusively offer FETCH! Pet Care's professional pet sitting, dog walking and pet taxi services to its customers beginning this month in select markets."
Independent pet sitting businesses across the nation urge PETCO to reconsider this "exclusive" arrangement with Fetch!. Independent businesses are legitimate, professional businesses and should not be confused with using a neighbor or a friend to care for your pets. In the past, PETCO has denied independent businesses to advertise, or even place business cards on their bulletin boards, because their stated company policies prevented support of anything other than official non-profit organizations. This was acceptable, because it placed all pet sitting businesses on a level playing field.
However, with this new development, PETCO is going against its own policies, and promoting one business over another, and we feel, with disregard for providing the best possible care of family pets.
Despite the claims that Fetch! makes, many individual FETCH! sitters are NOT trained by FETCH!. The franchise owner (who may or may not live in the service area) is trained in business practices, which is hardly the same as each sitter being trained in pet care. Conversely, independent sitters have their personal reputation on the line and participate in on-going training in pet first aid and animal behavior.
We urge PETCO to do some more research and verify the claims made by FETCH! Claiming 1800 service areas is NOTHING compared to the thousands of professional pet sitters running ethical dependable companies in nearly every city across the nation. A "service area" does not define the number of clients served--it is based solely on population. So many of those service areas are within the same city. There are more cities NOT served by Fetch! than there those with a Fetch! franchise. Independent sitters, who have been around much longer than 2002--some for as long as 20 years--have established a huge client base who turn to their pet sitters for advice on pet supplies and products. We would not recommend PETCO to hundreds of thousands of clients if the partnership with FETCH! negatively impacts our potential for continued growth.
It is unforgiveable that PETCO would undermine the success of countless small businesses across the nation to support one particular franchise. At the very least, ALL pet sitting businesses should be allowed to advertise in local PETCO locations, and let the pet owner decide what option is best for them.
Please sign this petition and let PETCO know that this partnership is disappointing to you as a pet sitter, pet owner, or concerned citizen.
UPDATE: Representatives from PETCO have been very willing to listen to our concerns and consider other options. On April 6, 2009, I had a lengthy phone meeting with them. A possible resolution would be an alliance with an organization, such as PSI (who they are considering meeting with), that allows ALL professional sitters to be members and listed in their directory. This would be a great step in the right direction for EVERYONE--PETCO, sitters, customers and the pets loved by us all. Considering all the animal related good works that PETCO is engaged in, I'm hopeful that a resolution can be reached that will allow everyone to continue to support those works. Please let PETCO know your thoughts. If you've already signed the petition you cannot sign again, but you can call them and let them know your thoughts about how much better an alliance with PSI versus a franchise would be. The number for their customer relations is
1-888-824-7257.
In a press release dated April 30, 2009, PETCO announced its partnership with Fetch! Pet Care. Specifically, the release said:
"PETCO, a leading pet specialty retailer with more than 950 locations across the country, will exclusively offer FETCH! Pet Care's professional pet sitting, dog walking and pet taxi services to its customers beginning this month in select markets."
Independent pet sitting businesses across the nation urge PETCO to reconsider this "exclusive" arrangement with Fetch!. Independent businesses are legitimate, professional businesses and should not be confused with using a neighbor or a friend to care for your pets. In the past, PETCO has denied independent businesses to advertise, or even place business cards on their bulletin boards, because their stated company policies prevented support of anything other than official non-profit organizations. This was acceptable, because it placed all pet sitting businesses on a level playing field.
However, with this new development, PETCO is going against its own policies, and promoting one business over another, and we feel, with disregard for providing the best possible care of family pets.
Despite the claims that Fetch! makes, many individual FETCH! sitters are NOT trained by FETCH!. The franchise owner (who may or may not live in the service area) is trained in business practices, which is hardly the same as each sitter being trained in pet care. Conversely, independent sitters have their personal reputation on the line and participate in on-going training in pet first aid and animal behavior.
We urge PETCO to do some more research and verify the claims made by FETCH! Claiming 1800 service areas is NOTHING compared to the thousands of professional pet sitters running ethical dependable companies in nearly every city across the nation. A "service area" does not define the number of clients served--it is based solely on population. So many of those service areas are within the same city. There are more cities NOT served by Fetch! than there those with a Fetch! franchise. Independent sitters, who have been around much longer than 2002--some for as long as 20 years--have established a huge client base who turn to their pet sitters for advice on pet supplies and products. We would not recommend PETCO to hundreds of thousands of clients if the partnership with FETCH! negatively impacts our potential for continued growth.
It is unforgiveable that PETCO would undermine the success of countless small businesses across the nation to support one particular franchise. At the very least, ALL pet sitting businesses should be allowed to advertise in local PETCO locations, and let the pet owner decide what option is best for them.
Please sign this petition and let PETCO know that this partnership is disappointing to you as a pet sitter, pet owner, or concerned citizen.
