Earlier this year, Petco CEO Ron Coughlin talked about losing his dog, Yummy, with CNN’s Julia Chatterley. Coughlin explained how the episode made him grateful to give all his employees paid pet bereavement leave.
In a CNN Business video, Chatterley asked Coughlin about Petco’s recent collaborations with Marriott and Nationwide insurance. Explaining the benefits to consumers. Coughlin related personal anecdotes about Yummy. “When I come to New York,” said Coughlin, “the hotel puts out bowls and beds for Yummy, and it makes me feel at home.” Later on, he said, “and it made Yummy feel at home as well.”
Explaining Petco’s deal with Nationwide, Coughlin told Chatterley that Yummy “was a double-cancer survivor.” He continued, “and each time that was a, you know, 20,000 or 30,000 dollar bill.”
Yummy: Cancer Survivor and Beloved Dog
Chatterley then asked Ron Coughlin if they could talk about Yummy. “If you don’t mind,” she said. “Yummy was such an incredible fighter. Two times cancer survivor. But you did lose him since the last time we spoke?”
Taking in a breath, Coughlin shifted his weight. Chuckling, he said, “Yeah, you’re gonna make me cry.” Then, “Yummy wasn’t just my dog. He was all Petco’s dog, and he was really meaningful. We called him the Chief Dog Officer.”
Coughlin then explained how Yummy embodied Petco’s mission to save lives. As a Chocolate lab, Yummy had grown to be 15 years old before he passed. “Which is a long life for a Lab,” said Coughlin. “I’m sure if he wasn’t taken care of so well, he wouldn’t have had that type of life.”
Helping Employees Cope With Pet Loss
Conclusively, Chatterley told Ron how “it’s so important to discuss…because their love is so innocent.” The CNN anchor continued, saying, “ I think we all feel a sense of profound loss because they are a family member.”
Coughlin responded, saying, “My first week on the job, I got an email from one of our partners who worked for us. It said, ‘we’re a pet company, we have human bereavement, we don’t have pet bereavement’”. A week after getting the email, Coughlin put in place paid pet bereavement leave for all Petco employees.
“I know I definitely needed some time off when I lost Yummy,” Coughlin said.
