Dog Breeders Meet at Hunte Conference
More than 1,300 professional pet breeders and pet industry
leaders attended the fifth annual breeder’s educational
conference, sponsored Sept. 17-18 in Joplin Mo., by The Hunte
Corp. (Goodman, Mo.).
In the keynote address, Dr. Johnny Hoskins talked about puppy
health and care, Hoskins is professor emeritus at the Louisiana
State University School of Veterinary Medicine (Baton Rouge)
and author of several textbooks, including Veterinary Pediatrics:
Dogs and Cats from Birth to Six Months.
Other speakers included Dr. Robert Gibbens, Western regional
director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service; Dr. Richard Meadows of
the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine
(Columbia); Dr. Gerryll Hall of Schering-Plough Animal Health
(Union, N.J.); Dr. Gene Warren of Pfizer Animal Health (New
York); and Dr. Carmen Battaglia, president and chief executive
officer of the American Kennel Club’s Companion Animal
Recovery program (Raleigh, N.C.).
Perhaps the most interesting attraction was the “Ask
a Veterinarian” booth. Veterinarians from the Hunte
staff showed breeders how they conduct puppy examinations,
and explained how to prevent genetic problems, how to spot
health problems, and what to look for in healthy puppies.
Attendees also got to visit Hunte’s state-of-the-art
distribution and retail facility, which was in the final stages
of construction.
“The Breeder Educational Conference gives us the perfect
opportunity to educate others on how to continually improve
our industry standards,” said Andrew Hunte, founder
and chief executive officer of The Hunte Corp. “We are
fortunate that so many knowledgeable industry leaders participated
in this year’s conference. Education is key to achieving
the highest standards in animal care.”
The conference, which included exhibits by various vendors,
services and associations, is the largest educational meeting
for professional pet breeders in the United States.
Dates for the sixth annual breeders conference were not available
at press time. For more information, call Hunte at 800-829-4155,
or visit www.thehuntecorporation.com.
[December 2004 PET AGE]
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