SERVE Celebrates National Hire a Veteran Day on July 25

July 25 is Hire a Veteran Day, so we are spotlighting a veteran that was hired at PetSmart earlier this year. Meet Kyle, an Associate Business Center Coordinator at the Phoenix Home Office.

Hello, PetSmart. My name is Kyle. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, but moved to Cave Creek, Arizona, at a young age. After high school, I attended community college before joining the Army as an Infantryman, or 11B (fondly referred to as “Eleven Bravo”), in 2012. My military career began with One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, where I learned the skills necessary to become an Eleven Bravo. After training, I was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, which happened to be only six hours away from home.

During my time in the service, I was deployed to Afghanistan (2012-2013) and assisted in cadet training (May 2014) at Fort Knox, Kentucky. I was 21 at the time of my enlistment and felt I had to grow up fast while learning lots of valuable skills. I also had the opportunity to meet lots of amazing people and establish friendships that would endure time and distance.

I left the army in 2016 and the next year, in 2017, Astro came into my life. He was an 8-week-old Pitbull-Boxer mix that instantly stole my heart. Over the last six years, Astro and I lived in Texas, then Iowa, before finally making it back home to Arizona. Astro looks tough but he’s a big teddy bear that enjoys greeting everyone that stops by the Business Center. At home, Astro looks after his sisters, Rosie and Stella, 2-year-old mixed breeds.”

“People skills and staying calm under pressure are strengths I gained through my military experience,” Kyle shares. “It also helps in the job interview process.”

Kyle joined PetSmart earlier this year in April and says the transition has been seamless because of the warm and welcoming culture PetSmart embodies. “To date, I have met a lot of wonderful people and their pets; Astro and I are very much looking forward to making many new friends while I continue to learn and grow within this wonderful organization.”

When asked how he does Anything for Pets, Kyle said “I take my dogs on a walk at 4am three times a week, and even kiss them all on the head before tucking them into bed each night.”