Dozens Honored at National Central Pet Meeting
More than 200 Central Pet representatives and select vendors attended the Celebration of Leadership national sales meeting, held Nov. 9-12 at Miami’s Parrot Jungle Island and hosted by Central Pet Distribution, a subsidiary of Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.). The event marked the first meeting of the company’s entire distribution team...

APPMA Management Conference Is Big Success
It was worth the wait: The APPMA Management Conference, returning after a five-year hiatus, got an enthusiastic thumbs-up rating from attendees. The two-day event, sponsored by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.), was held Nov. 9-10 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas...

Superior Animal Care Touted at Hunte Conference
More than 1,200 professional pet breeders and pet industry leaders attended the sixth annual breeder's educational conference held Oct. 14-15 in Joplin, Mo., by Hunte Corp. (Goodman, Mo.)...

Competitive Retailers Understand Shopping Modes
Retailers who understand the primary and secondary shopping modes of their core customers can successfully differentiate themselves from their competition, according to the American ShopperScape 2005 report by Retail Forward Inc. (Columbus, Ohio), a management consulting and market research firm specializing in retail intelligence and strategies...

Pet Spa Products on the Rise in United States
Our obsession with better looking and better smelling companion animals drove U.S retail sales of pet grooming products to $165 million in 2004, reflecting annual average growth of 5.3 percent since 2000, according to a new study by Packaged Facts (New York), a division of MarketResearch.com...

Pet Food Meets Consumer Expectations
Customer satisfaction with pet food dropped a mere 1 percentage point in the third quarter of 2005, registering a score of 82 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, according to a report by the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) in partnership with the American Society for Quality and CFI Group...

Lifestyle Trends Affect Pet Markets
The markets for pet food, pet accessories and pet insurance continue to be driven by several lifestyle trends, according to "The Pet Market-Market Assessment 2005" by Research and Markets (Dublin, Ireland)...

PETA Employees Face More Charges
Prosecutors in Hertford County, N.C., in October filed additional charges against two People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Norfolk, Va.) employees accused of killing adoptable puppies and kittens with the controlled substance pentobarbital, then throwing their bodies into a Dumpster behind a grocery store...

National Coalition Wants to Include Pets in Emergency Response Plans
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the nation's most prominent animal welfare organizations have joined forces to form an animal rescue coalition dedicated to working with Congress to create a more comprehensive emergency disaster response plan...

Congress Holds Hearing on Expanding Animal Welfare Act.
As a result of a Nov. 8 hearing before a Senate subcommittee, legislators are expected to clarify language and add important provisions to pending legislation that would amend the Animal Welfare Act...

New Law May Broaden Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act
Pet stores and breeders facing damage or disruption to their business by animal activists will fall under the protective umbrella of new legislation designed to strengthen law enforcement efforts against individuals engaged in such activities...

Legislators Call for Universal Microchipping Standard
The first federal legislation to support a universal standard for pet microchipping was signed into law in November...

Americans Prefer the Human Side of Customer Service
Eight out of 10 American consumers agree that courteous service and a smile are more important than speedy technology-assisted services, according to a survey by DHL (Plantation, Fla.), an express delivery and logistics company...

Pet Exhibit Tours Museums
Americans can explore their relationships with their companion animals through a new exhibit at the McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina (Columbia)...

PIDA to Hold Management Conference in Southern California
More than 200 executives representing about 100 distributing and manufacturing firms will gather for seminars, conferences and other activities during the 2006 management conference and annual meeting of the Pet Industry Distributors Association (Bel Air, Md.), Feb. 8-11 at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, Calif...

Global Pet Expo Set for March in San Diego
More than 5,000 buyers-35 percent of whom will come from countries around the world-are expected to attend Global Pet Expo, March 23-25 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego...