Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc. is an American pet retailer with corporate offices in San Diego and San Antonio. Petco sells pet food, products, and services, as well as certain types of live small animals. Founded in 1965 as a mail-order veterinary supply company in California, it grew into a pet food and supplies chain. Acquired by The Spectrum Group, Inc. and the Thomas H. Lee Company in 1988, it first went public on the NASDAQ in 1994. It was subsequently bought by Leonard Green & Partners and Texas Pacific Group in 2000 and went privately owned. In 2002 the company went public for the second time, again on the NASDAQ under ticker "PETC". In 2016 Petco was sold to CVC Capital Partners and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, who retained control when Petco held its third IPO in January 2021. As of 2021, the company has approximately 1,500 Petco stores across the United States and Mexico. Stores sell pet food, pet supplies, small animals, and fish. Some stores offer services such as obedience training, dog grooming, pet vaccinations, and veterinary care, while also hosting adoption events. Unleashed by Petco are smaller stores that do not sell live animals. Wikipedia