08/08/2026
Thanks to our wonderful community, our shelter won the Petsense Celebrates Pet Heroes! Thank you to Petsense Kingsville and Petsense by Tractor Supply. With the gift card, we were able to provide about 2wks worth of food for our babies.
We learned this right before we received the devastating news about our Petsense store. Petsense has been an amazing asset to our community, and we are deeply saddened to hear about the decision to close it. The manager mentioned it was one of 70+ stores set to close. We understand business is business and doubt there is even a snowball’s chance in…er… South Texas this will change. However, we would like to use this post to convey the impact this store has had on our community and our little rescue shelter Animal Rescue Kleberg (ARK).
When Petsense Kingsville opened in November 2012, our little shelter was run down and close to closing its doors. With the opening of this store, came brand new opportunities to showcase our kitties and remind our community of the shelter’s existence. Almost all the cat adoptions and so many dog adoptions since then have been thanks to Petsense. In addition, this location also been host to most of our adoption, fundraiser and community involvement events. Management has graciously allowed us to regularly commandeer the back storage area to set up seasonal photoshoots which have been our most consistent fundraiser events. Christmas and Halloween being the most looked forward to. In addition, the donations we have received from and because of this store have kept ARK afloat in the worst of times.
The presence of this store has also helped shape the community as a whole in regard to proper pet care. After the store opened, we saw more people take an interest in finding better food and products for their pets’ care. The acquisition of Petsense LLC by Tractor Supply Company in 2016 greatly improved things and continued to facilitate this better mindset. Customers seemed to like the new variety of products and had more confidence in the name. We saw more and more families establish themselves as regular customers over the years. Though it has not been done recently, bringing trainers, dog handlers and other pet service providers to onsite events also played a key role in shaping a positive mindset for our companion animals.
We understand how the financial bottom line must be the forefront for any business especially during tough times like these. We hope the folks running the company do not dismiss the significant and positive impact Petsense Kingsville has had on ARK and the Kingsville community. Even with the existence of the local parent TSC store, the closing of this store will leave a substantial hole.
We at Animal Rescue Kleberg and as Kingsville community members thank them for almost 14 years of service, education and support. We are including a tiny sample of photos taken at events hosted there 2 of our kitties that found their homes thanks to the store.
