Doskocil Acquires Aspen
Doskocil Manufacturing Co. Inc. (Arlington, Texas), maker of Petmate Pet Products, in January acquired privately held Aspen Pet Products Holdings Inc. (Denver) from BancBoston Capital. Financial terms were not disclosed...

S&M NuTec Stands Behind Greenies
Responding to widely reported allegations that dogs are choking, developing intestinal obstructions and even dying after eating Greenies treats, S&M NuTec L.L.C. (North Kansas City, Mo.) is modifying product packaging to include clearer instructions about choosing the right size of product for the individual dog...

Rogz Honored at Global Pets Forum
Rogz (Cape Town, South Africa), a manufacturer of hip dog and cat accessories, received the 2006 Global Pets Award at Global Pets Forum, held Jan. 19-20, in Prague, the Czech Republic.

The award, presented by Pets International Magazine (Amersfoort, Netherlands), was based on online voting by the magazine’s readers as well as voting by conference attendees...

Pet Franchises Rank High
Five pet-related franchises kept spots on this year’s Entrepreneur Franchise 500, making “pet products and services” one of the hottest category in the annual ranking of franchise opportunities.

At No. 111, Aussie Pet Mobile (Dana Point, Calif.) was the highest-ranked pet-related business on the list. The company, which offers mobile pet grooming services, has appeared on the list five years in a row...

Breed-Specific Legislation on the Rise
Already outlawed in such places as Miami and Prince George’s County, Md., pit bills increasingly are the target of legislation springing up throughout the country, according to the American Kennel Club (New York)...

Bill Would Let Citizens Seize Pets
Far-reaching legislation proposed in South Dakota would give private citizens the right to confiscate pets, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington)...

HSUS Sues Florida Pet Store
The Humane Society of the United States (Washington) filed suit in February against south Florida puppy dealer Wizard of Claws for allegedly using misleading sales tactics and selling sick puppies...

Retailers Like Bush's Health Plan
The National Retail Federation (Washington) in January welcomed health care proposals unveiled in President Bush’s State of the Union address...

Retailers Start Year With a Bang
The holiday season extended into January for many retailers, as consumers flooded stores with gift cards to take advantage of clearance sales. Retail industry sales for January increased a solid 7.6 percent over last year and rose a seasonally adjusted 2 percent over December, according to the National Retail Federation (Washington)...

Retail Sales to Moderate
Retail sales will grow 6 percent in 2006, slightly less than last year’s 6.7 percent growth, as a softer housing market, higher energy prices, negative savings and less use of consumer credit take a small toll, according to the Ernst & Young Consumer Trends Center (Chicago)...

Eight Halls of Pet Products at Interzoo 2006
Approximately 31,000 trade visitors and nearly 1,100 exhibitors from all over the world are expected to participate in Interzoo 2006, May 11-14 in Nurnberg, Germany...

Booths Selling Briskly for Aquaria China 2006
Booth reservations for Aquaria China 2006 are running ahead of schedule, with more than 70 percent of spots reserved at press time, according to show organizers...

Top Designers on View at Pet Fashion Week NY
Buyers, manufacturers and high-end designers from around the world will meet at the elegant Metropolitan Pavilion in the heart of Manhattan for Pet Fashion Week NY, Aug. 19-20...

SuperZoo Offers Upgrades
The World Wide Pet Industry Association (Arcadia, Calif.) is partnering with BDMetrics Inc. (Baltimore) to launch a new service to maximize sales opportunities for exhibitors and attendees of SuperZoo 2006, scheduled for Sept. 20-22 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas...