Hurricane Katrina Victims Need Help
At press time for the October issue, thousands of National Guardsmen were being ordered into hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities to control increasingly desperate residents (some wielding guns) and looters so thousands of evacuees could be moved to safety...

Several States Ban Pocket Pet Sales
Ohio barred the sale of pet mice, hamsters and guinea pigs from Mid-South Distributors of Ohio (Norwich) in August after federal health authorities determined it to be the source of rodents infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, a disease harmful to unborn children and people with weakened immune systems...

New AAFCO Regulations May Affect Pet Stores
The Association of American Feed Control Officials dropped a bombshell during its annual meeting, held in August in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., by outlining a new feed safety program: The proposed program would give feed control officials greater authority to regulate animal feed manufacturers and would cover related industries previously not subject to AAFCO regulation—including certain pet stores...

Pet Supplies Hit $8.5 Billion, Study Says
The U.S. market for pet supplies has grown nearly 20 percent since 2000, hitting $8.5 billion in 2004—and attracting the attention of companies and stores not normally associated with litter boxes, collars, flea powder, shampoo and the like...

Pet Messes Mean Money for Marketers
Four pets died on commercial airline flights and five pets were injured in May, according to the first monthly animal incident report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation...

Petland Honors Top Stores
Petland Inc. (Chillicothe, Ohio) honored dozens of its best retail store operators during its annual trade show, held July 27 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Winners included:...

PIJAC-Canada Fights Ornamental Fish Tariffs
PIJAC Canada (Ottawa, Ontario) is lobbying Canadian legislators to eliminate a 15 percent tariff on ornamental fish shipments from the United States that went into effect in May...

Group Calls for Crackdown on Online Trade in Endangered Species
Some of the world’s most endangered species—as well as products made from those species—are being sold illegally over the Internet, according to a new report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Yarmouth Port, Mass.)...

Animal-Assisted Therapy Gives Boys and Dogs a New Leash on Life
Chris admits that he was angry and often stubborn before he got involved in the New Leash on Life program. However, working with his dog, Lucky, a “headstrong” Dalmatian, helped him learn to be more patient and to curb his own anger...

Specialty Stores Remain Strong, Study Says
After a tough year of consolidations and mergers among department, drug and grocery stores, specialty stores are gaining a wider market share and are becoming a major force in retailing, according to the 2005 Top 100 Specialty Retailers ranking, sponsored by Alliance Data Systems...

Experts Offer Mixed Retail Sales Reports
Consumers finally loosened their purse strings in July, according to the July Retail Executive Opinion Survey by the National Retail Federation (Washington)...