Pet Industry Expects Steady Growth

Pets come in all shapes and sizes, but the one constant is the bond between pets and their owners. In fact, 76% of dog or cat owners consider their 4-legged companions to be part of the family.

This closeness creates marketing and sales opportunities that go far beyond basics such as food to include apparel, toys, treats, vet care and grooming, just to name a few. According to Mintel, the pet industry is expected to maintain a steady pace of growth, increasing by 33% over the next five years.

“To maintain and continue such strong sales is an impressive feat in our tough economy and truly speaks to owners’ commitment to their pets and manufacturers’ ability to develop products that resonate with pet owners,” notes Fiona O’Donnell, senior analyst at Mintel. “We are noticing that innovations in the pet industry are mirroring innovations in human markets and since many owners consider pets as family members, this is not surprising.”

Functional foods that have a great taste and also provide health benefits have hit a chord with Americans in the past several years, so it only makes sense that owners would want the same fare for their pets. According to Mintel, pet food that offers a “functional” claim has increased by 130% from 2006 to 2010.

Innovations in the pet industry go beyond the food aisle into lifestyle products that reflect the owner’s personality and interests. Martha Stewart has developed an exclusive line of pet accessories for PetSmart that are said to be developed with “both the pets and owners in mind.”

“I don’t expect pet innovation to slow down anytime soon,” adds O’Donnell. “Despite the difficult economy, 50% of pet owners make unplanned toy and treat purchases for their pets and another 16% say they have cut back on extra household expenses in order to afford pet-related care…showing the true commitment of pet-parents.”

Image via Ambro/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Recent Reunions Boost Interest in Microchips

via Reuters.com - In the weeks since the highly publicized return of long lost Willow the microchipped cat to her Colorado owners from New York City, microchipping of pets has jumped 185 percent, according to industry statistics.

News this week of the return of Petey the microchipped dog to his Tennessee home from Michigan is likely to spike those figures again.

Across the United States, 26 percent of dogs had implanted microchips in 2010 compared to 17 percent in 2009, according to an annual survey of pet owners by American Pet Products Association. Some 12 percent of cats had microchips in 2010.

Then there are bursts such as the 185 percent jump in microchip sales in the weeks after Willow's discovery, reported by Banfield Pet Hospital, a nationwide animal hospital group headquartered in Oregon.

"Clyde and Monty are our family -- we don't have children," said Charlie Dammand, explaining why she chose to implant microchips in her Exotic Shorthair Persian kitten Clyde and Golden Retriever Monty.

"I want every assurance that if they got out, I'd get them back," said Dammand, 44, an airline customer service worker from Kent, Washington.

Most shelters and humane societies implant microchips in animals before allowing them to be adopted, experts say.

While most pet owners get their animals from friends or family, 21 percent of dog and cat owners adopted them from shelters or humane societies, according to the APPA survey.

A microchip is an electronic chip about the size of a grain of rice, implanted under the skin between an animal's shoulder blades with a hypodermic needle.

It contains an identification number that can be registered in a data base with owner contact information. A hand-held scanner waved like a magic wand over a lost animal detects the chip's electronic frequency and the reunion process begins.

Read more: http://reut.rs/u3v6jN
Written by Barbara Goldberg
Image via Reuters.com

Animal Advocates Rally for Canmore Bunnies

Canmore, Alberta - "Come on people, save the bunnies!" a woman wearing a headband with felt rabbit ears shouted toward passersby.

She was one of the several Save Canmore Bunnies supporters armed with signs, literature, and rabbit ears atop their heads who took to the streets last weekend to raise awareness for their cause.

Spokesperson Kyndra Biggy said the rally was used as an opportunity to remind Canmore residents that the town's feral rabbit population could be facing a potential cull, but there are non-lethal alternatives available for solving the rabbit problem.

In the mid 1980's, someone in Canmore released about a dozen domestic rabbits that have survived and thrived. Officials in the mountain community estimated earlier this year that there are 2,000 rabbits roaming the town, up from 1,000 four years ago.

The town set aside $50,000 last year to hire experts to cull the feral animals as concerns mounted that they were attracting more predators into Canmore.

In September, the Humane Society of Canada warned the town that it might face a legal fight. Michael O'Sullivan, chairman and CEO of the society, said the town should find an alternative to a cull, which he predicted would not solve the problem anyway.

A Vancouver Island rabbit advocate responsible for saving hundreds of bunnies on the University of Victoria campus has also set her sights on Alberta. Last year, Susan Vickery moved most of the feral bunnies that were overrunning the campus to her shelter near Coombs, B.C.

 "A couple of months ago, the mayor and council were going to rubber stamp culling the rabbits," Vickery said.

But after presentations by Vickery and Biggy, Mayor Ron Casey and council will now also consider non-lethal solutions.

The town is currently looking at several proposals to deal with the feral rabbit population, including both lethal and non-lethal solutions, said Mayor Casey, who hopes to have a solid option in place by early November.

Casey said he doesn't believe his town is divided on the matter. Most of the emails he has received complaining about ridding Canmore of its bunny problem are actually from places far from his community.

Town administration will present the most feasible proposals to council at the first meeting in November, with the best one expected to be put into action over the winter.

Image via www.gocanmore.com

Second Annual National Pet Food Drive Starts Sunday

Petco and the Petco Foundation are calling all animal lovers to take part in the second annual National Pet Food Drive to help pet parents in need provide a healthy and plentiful holiday season for four-legged family members. The National Pet Food Drive will kick off Sunday, October 30 and last through Sunday, November 13.

During the two-week drive, consumers can pick up extra food or litter during their shopping trip, or bring unopened cans or bags from home, and drop it into specially marked pet food collection bins located in each of the more than 1,100 Petco and Unleashed by Petco stores nationwide. Throughout the drive, Hill's Science Diet will match, pound for pound, every bag of dog and cat food donated, up to 100,000 pounds.

"We believe no one should have to give up their pet companions due to financial distress, and our associates and customers agree," said Paul Jolly, the Executive Director of the Petco Foundation and a Petco vice president. "Last year's drive provided more than 90 tons – that's almost 200,000 pounds – of pet food for families in need; an incredible gift leading into the holiday season and such an easy way for people to help keep pets well-nourished and with the families who love them in tough economic times. We hope to double that this year, so we're asking the communities we serve to give a little extra and help us raise awareness for this important year-round program."

 "The food bank program means so much to me," said Khadejaia Alexander, a low-income pet parent who receives pet food and support from PAWS Los Angeles, a Petco Foundation Food Bank Partner. "I need to take care of myself, so it's less stress on me knowing that my dogs can eat and I can provide a nice home for them. People see a lot of human needs, but forget about animals and the help their owners may need. The food bank has been so helpful to me, it's really a blessing."

Read more: http://prn.to/uJQ9b3

Image via PRNewswire.com

Jack’s Pets Stops Selling Puppies

Last week, the ASPCA commended Jack’s Pets for its decision to no longer sell puppies in any of its stores and to expand its work with local animal shelters and rescue groups to offer in-store pet adoptions. Jack’s Pets owns and operates 27 regional stores located throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

“We have over one million customers coming through our doors every year,” said Scott Brenner, president of Jack’s Pets. “We recognize that we can have a very positive impact on our local pet community by working with various adoption agencies surrounding our stores. We have worked with and supported many animal shelters and rescue groups in the past, and starting next year, we will expand our partnerships even further. We appreciate the ASPCA’s support.”

Last month, the ASPCA unveiled its national No Pet Store Puppies campaign in Columbus, Ohio. The campaign raises awareness about the connection between pet store puppies and puppy mills and aims to reduce the demand for puppy mill puppies by urging consumers not to buy any items - including food, supplies or toys - if the store or website sells puppies.

“The ASPCA is thrilled to see a pet store chain like Jack’s Pets transition to a no puppy sales model,” said ASPCA President and CEO Ed Sayres. “We look forward to partnering with Jack’s Pets to connect them with local shelters and rescues to offer pet adoptions in their stores. We hope that Jack’s decision will convince other pet stores to stop selling puppies and instead support local animal adoption programs, which would improve the lives of countless dogs.”

To learn more about the ASPCA’s No Pet Store Puppies campaign, visit www.NoPetStorePuppies.com.

Image via ASPCA

Tragedy in Ohio

Via IFAW.org - By now, most of us have heard the news out of Zanesville, Ohio, where the owner of an animal preserve set free dozens of exotic animals - including cheetahs, wolves, bears, lions, and tigers - before taking his own life. In the wake of this tragedy, there is certain to be outrage, concern and questions - with the most important question being; why should anyone, let alone a convicted felon with a history of animal abuse, be allowed to keep wild animals in captivity?

Instead of attempting to place blame, we must all agree that more stringent legislation is needed to ensure the safety of the public and the animals. Ohio is one of nearly a dozen states that currently has no regulation to prevent the private ownership of dangerous exotic wildlife. In Ohio, individuals can purchase tigers, cheetahs, chimps, and countless other species from private breeders and auctions. These animals often end up spending their life in backyard cages, where they suffer in deplorable conditions and struggle to survive.

Certain pieces of legislation discourage this type of private ownership. The Captive Wildlife Safety Act, a law which makes it illegal to ship large, dangerous cats (tigers, lions, leopards, etc.) across state lines, was signed into effect on September 17, 2007. In Ohio, an executive order issued last year by then Gov.Ted Strickland prohibited people convicted of animal cruelty from owning exotic pets, and banned private citizens from acquiring certain dangerous wild animals. However, this emergency order expired in April and has yet to be renewed.

Many questions still remain to be answered. However there is one thing we already know for sure: these wild animals should never be privately owned as pets. When they are, the animals (and their owners) always suffer, and the results are often tragic.

Read more http://bit.ly/qnb1RG
Written by Azzedine Downes

Tell Govenor John Kasich to ban the sale, ownership and harboring of dangerous exotic animals by signing this petition on Change.org. 

Wabbit Wednesday - Clara

Meet Clara, Rabbit of the Week at Western PA Humane Society. She is a two year old brown and white Rhinelander rabbit.

Clara was found by another rescue organization who took her to WPHS so she could have the best chance possible of finding her forever home.

She is a very sweet and gentle lady who enjoys quality time with her family, being petted, and hopping around finding adventure. This little girl would do well in just about any home!

Things to remember prior to adopting a rabbit:

• Rabbits should be kept indoors only. Predators can break into an outdoor cage, and even if they do not catch the rabbit, it can still die from shock. 
• Rabbits need a cage large enough to stand up, lay down and move around, as well as an indoor bunny-proofed area to explore. Rabbits need at least 3-4 hours of exercise daily. 
•  Rabbits can be litter trained. You will need at least two litter boxes (one for inside the cage and one for the exercise area). AVOID cedar or pine shavings because they are hazardous to a rabbit's health.
• A rabbit's diet consists of unlimited fresh water, timothy hay, dark leafy greens, and one quarter cup of high quality pellets for every 5 pounds of body weight. 
•  Rabbits are ground loving creatures so not all rabbits tolerate being held. Get down on the floor and let your rabbit come to you.
•  Rabbits should have an annual checkup and may require teeth trims. A veterinarian specializing in exotic pet care is needed.
• Rabbits have an 8-12 year life span, and like all pets, are not disposable. Be prepared to make a 10 year commitment when adopting a rabbit. 

If you have room in your heart and your home for this pretty lady, contact Western PA Humane Society or visit Petfinder.com to find an adoptable rabbit near you.

Photographer Focuses on Pets with Disabilities

via PetaPixel.com - Photographer Carli Davidson - now Internet-famous for her portraits of dogs shaking off water - has a heartwarming project entitled Pets with Disabilities in which she uses portraits to tell the stories of happy dogs that have various handicaps.

"Duncan has a spinal disorder that many corgis are prone to. Even though he can’t use his hind legs he is still extremely active. He throws toys across the room for himself to fetch, and his favorite treat is whipped cream."

"Diego, the blind Chihuahua and Buddy Nixon. Diego uses Buddy as a seeing eye dog by following the tapping of his nails as he walks around new environments."

"Ramen Noodle lost both of his arms in separate accidents before he was two years old. Only three weeks after losing the second arm he was up and running on his hind legs. He also has a front wheelchair to get around outdoors, but prefers to walk on his own."

Carli Davidson is both an internationally recognized award winning photographer and an experienced animal trainer and caretaker. She is able to capture the innate personalities of her subjects using her professional understanding of animal behavior. Carli is a freelance photographer for the Oregon Zoo, and works regularly with domestic animals both commercially and personally for her fine art projects.

For more information on Carli Davidson, visit her website at www.carlidavidsonphotography.com.

Images by Carli Davidson

Blog the Change Day

Today is Blog the Change Day - the day when pet lovers and pet bloggers come together to write about a cause that is near and dear to their hearts.

Earlier this week, Mary Haight of Dancing Dog Blog wrote that Petland Inc. has decided to stop selling puppies and kittens in their stores across Canada. This is great news, but the phase-out does not include their U.S. stores.

Working with Change.org, Mary created a petition asking Petland USA to also stop selling pets - and she has called upon her fellow bloggers to help spread the word.

Here's what you can do to help:

• sign and share the petition on Change.org
• write to Petland USA on Facebook and Twitter
• write a blog post and link it to the the blog hop!

It takes just a few minutes to sign and share the petition. Another 15 minutes to write a short post on your blog. Together we can help save hundreds of thousands of lives. Let’s do it – now!

Study Shows Puppy Mills Leave Lasting Emotional Scars

Via USAToday - The psychological damage suffered by dogs living in puppy mills is profound and exists long after they've been rescued, a new study shows.

"This study gives us strong evidence that the dogs kept in these large-scale breeding facilities don't just suffer while they're confined there, but carry the emotional scars out with them for years, even when they're placed in loving homes," says Frank McMillan of Best Friends Animal Society, who conducted the research with James Serpell and Deborah Duffy of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science.

Anecdotal evidence has long suggested that lacking normal human contact and living with the pain and discomfort that are systemic in puppy mills leave these dogs with post-trauma-like behaviors. This is the first large study comparing mill survivors to dogs raised in homes.

The study compared owner-reported psychological and behavioral characteristics of 1,169 former breeding dogs recovered from puppy mills with those of 332 pet dogs without the mill history. The dogs from puppy mills showed significantly elevated levels of fears and phobias, compulsive and repetitive behaviors, and heightened sensitivity to being touched.

"The most prominent difference was in the level of fear," says McMillan. "Compared to normal pet dogs, the chance of scoring in the highest ranges for fear was six to eight times higher in the recovered puppy-mill dogs."

Read more: http://usat.ly/r98tJR
Written by Sharon L. Peters
Photo via Best Friends Animal Society

Join us this Saturday, October 15 for Blog the Change Day. We are asking Petland USA to stop selling animals in their stores and fire puppy mills!

Tell Petland USA to Stop Selling Animals

Petland Inc. has long been under fire for selling puppy mill dogs. In 2008, the Humane Society of the United States revealed the results of an eight month investigation, which indicated that many Petland stores across the country were supporting cruel puppy mills, even while telling unsuspecting customers that the dogs came from good breeders.

In March 2009, HSUS filed a class action suit against Petland for selling unhealthy puppy mill dogs in at least 20 states. A follow-up investigation in June 2009 revealed that more than 95% of Petland stores continued selling puppy mill dogs with over 15,000 puppies traced to massive commercial puppy brokers.

In May 2010, Animal Planet aired the documentary Animal Planet Investigates: Petland, which clearly showed the grim connection between puppy mills and pet stores.

Thousands of people have supported the HSUS Stop Puppy Mills campaign by signing the petition and peacefully protesting outside of Petland stores. Although Petland Inc. has been slow to respond, there has been some movement made by individual store owners.

In November 2010, the East Liberty Petland store located in Pittsburgh, PA announced that they would no longer sell puppies from commercial breeders. Instead, they would offer puppies, cats and kittens from two local animal shelters. The owners made the decision after two years of having local animal advocates hold frequent demonstrations outside their store and upon hearing that a Petland store in Texas had success selling shelter animals.

Recently, Petland Inc. announced that it would begin phasing out selling puppies and kittens in its 50-some stores across Canada. In place of selling pets, the stores plan to work with and help animal rescue groups by having adoption events at their locations and even taking in rescued pets at the stores to adopt out. However, Petland stores in the U.S. are not participating in the phase out.

As a concerned animal lover and member of the Be the Change for Animals Team, I am asking you to participate in Blog the Change Day this Saturday, October 15. We will rally around this cause - asking Petland USA to stop selling animals in their stores and fire puppy mills! I hope you will join us.

Image via morgefile.com

Take a Chance on Me

Thanks to my friend Edie Jarolim at Will My Dog Hate Me for starting my day off with this great video. Enjoy!

Black Dog Syndrome

Via USA Today - Shelter workers call it the "Black Dog Syndrome": Black dogs and cats are often the last to be adopted and the first to be euthanized.

There are no statistics, but there's plenty of anecdotal evidence and many possible explanations, ranging from superstitions like the notion that black cats are bad luck, to a simple logistical problem: Black animals are hard to photograph well, and are therefore hard to advertise. To combat the problem, shelters have come up with a variety of creative measures, from reducing adoption fees to improving the quality of the photos.

"Overwhelmingly, we hear from the shelter and rescue groups that black dogs, especially the big black dogs, and black cats take longer to get adopted," said Kim Saunders, vice president of shelter outreach for Petfinder.com, the country's largest online pet adoption database.

Some have called Black Dog Syndrome a hoax, but Inge Fricke, director of sheltering and pet care issues for the Humane Society of the United States in Washington, D.C., insists "it is not a hoax. There is definitely anecdotal evidence. There haven't been any definitive studies to absolutely prove that the phenomenon exists but it is something commonly accepted by shelter workers as truth."

Some in the adoption business think there may simply be more black dogs and cats than animals of other colors. Others think the animals may be wrongly perceived as menacing.

Mike Arms, president of the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., blames part of it on typecasting. "If you think of any movie with a mean, devil dog, it's always a black dog, and if you see a witch in a movie, they always have a black cat."

Read more: http://usat.ly/qUF8k4

Image via morguefile.com

Barkworld Recap Day 2

One thing I’ve learned in my many years of attending conferences is that I need to pace myself or I will run out of gas before the conference ends. Unfortunately, this time I didn’t do so well.

Since I went out Friday night for the reception at Uptown Pups and then had dinner with some blogger buddies, I slept in the following morning. 

Okay – maybe it wasn’t planned that way. Maybe I woke up, looked at the clock and fell back asleep. But I thought the extra hour of sleep would help get me through the day.

The first session I attended was “Who’s That Doggy in the Window?” presented by Jaime Williams of Beaker and Flask Creative. Jaime discussed the importance of an overall brand experience, understanding what your brand represents, and how to maintain a consistence brand personality. She also presented examples of good and not-so-good online brands. 

The next session was “Social Petworking Part 2: Speed Pitching”. This session gave attendees the opportunity to meet with sponsors and pitch their blog or other social media project. We each met with seven different sponsors using the speed dating format – spending six minutes with each sponsor before moving to the next table.

At the end of the Social Petworking session, I was exhausted. I am an introvert by nature. Introverts are people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction, as opposed to extroverts who gain energy by interacting with others. So after the speed dating session, I retreated to the quiet space of my room to write a blog post and regain my energy.

The last session that I attended was “Foursquare 411” presented by Chad Elkins of Engauge. Chad discussed how the attendees can use foursquare and other location-based services to help promote their brand.

The day ended with closing remarks and raffle prizes. There wasn't a flash mob like the previous day, but it was still a great ending to a great conference.

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Barkworld Expo. I learned a lot about social media and met lots of great pet lovers, and I hope to attend the conference again next year!

Image via Preston Phelps

BarkWorld Recap Day 1

BarkWorld Expo is a social “petworking” conference covering all facets of social media, pet lifestyle & business education for pet lovers. The 2011 event was held from September 29 to October 1 in Atlanta, GA.

I arrived in Atlanta on Thursday afternoon in time for the welcome reception. The pet friendly event was held at the Hotel Indigo, and I met lots of “old” friends from last year’s event and also many new friends.

Friday morning began with a keynote presentation by Ted Rheingold, Founder of Dogster, Inc. Ted talked about the development of Dogster.com and how the company eventually grew to include Catster.com, Snuzzy.com, The Vet Blog and more.

The first session I attended was “Poop There It Is!”  In this session, Stephanie Miles of WebMD and Melissa Halliburton of BringFido.com discussed the types of information that pet owners are looking for online.

Next was a panel discussion featuring pet brands and pet bloggers. Diane Silver of To Dog With Love, Rachel Phelps of Preston Speaks, Seth Anderson of Greenies, and Bev VanZant of Iams discussed how pet bloggers can pitch their blog to companies for product reviews and sponsorship.

After the panel discussion, Victoria Stilwell, star of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog, gave a keynote presentation. She discussed her own passion for positive dog training and also gave tips on how animal lovers can leverage social media tools to promote their brands and causes they believe in.

By this time, I was missing my cats so I went to “How to Keep Your Kitty Cat Audience Purring for More”.  This session was presented by Lisa Illman of Kritters That Twitter, who discussed topics for engaging your community, using videos in your blog, and developing your reputation in the cat blogging community. Although there were no live kitties in the room, I did manage to pet a few flat cats!

The final session I attended that day was “Creating Pawsome Content for Online” presented by Jelena Woehr of Yahoo! Contributor Network. Jelena walked the group through how to create online content that engages the reader using the Yahoo! Style Guide. It was a great presentation, but I will admit my favorite part was holding my pal Niqqi while her mom was in the front of the room with Jelena.

The day ended with closing remarks and raffle giveaways. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of going up to my room and missed the opportunity to see my very first flash mob! I guess that’s what I get for working in my room instead of staying until the very end.

In the evening, we visited Uptown Pups, a new pet boutique in Atlantic Station. It’s a great little shop with lots of products for dogs and dog lovers, and I was happy because I got to meet lots of new canine friends!

Photo of Niqqi and Bev VanZant (image via Niqqi)