- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES PetSmart has placed creative duties on its ad account in review, the company said.

The incumbent agency, Publicis Groupe's Leo Burnett in Chicago, is defending. Media chores at Publicis' Starcom are not presently in play.

Select Resources International, Santa Monica, Calif., is conducting the search on behalf of the Phoenix, Ariz.-based retailer. Paul Karmann, director of advertising and media, will lead the review on the client side.

The company said it reviews vendor contracts every 3-5 years as a matter of policy. The process is expected to conclude by late summer, according to the client.

PetSmart spent more than $40 million in traditional domestic media last year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

The current tagline is "That's smart. PetSmart." Recent ads have shown a dachshund playing with a stuffed toy and a popular 15-second effort about a dog refusing to answer to the ridiculous name "Mr. Barky von Schnauzer." The latter has generated numerous parodies on YouTube.

PetSmart operates more than 1,000 stores selling pet supplies and related services in the U.S. and Canada.

This story has been updated and corrected to reflect the fact that only creative is in play.