The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.) generated more than 950 pet-related print or broadcast features—or more than $1 million worth of free advertising for APPMA members—through press releases sent to 20,000 members of the media. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Deck and Patio Co. (Huntington Station, N.Y.) won the $3,000 grand prize in a $10,000 Photo Contest sponsored by Aquascape Designs Inc. (Batavia, Ill.). For a complete list of winners, visit www.aquascapedesigns.com. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Aquascape Designs Inc. (Batavia, Ill.) will give a 2005 Lotus Elise sports car to the winner of its 2005 Photo Contest. To enter, pond contractors must submit before-and-after photos and two essays by March 1. For contest rules, visit www.aquascapedesigns.com. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Bark Busters (Denver) kicked off a national expansion campaign in the Houston area in November, introducing the company’s in-home dog-training approach to owners and potential franchisees. Bark Busters operates more than 86 franchised offices in 28 states. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Bella Pooch (Springville, Mo.) and five of its vendors put gifts in a doggy bag for celebrities and VIPs who participated in the 73rd Annual Hollywood Christmas Parade, broadcast last November on local Los Angeles station KTLA. Joining the online boutique in the promotion were Fido Friendly (Fresno, Calif.), K9 Biscuit (Vancouver, British Columbia), Merrick Petfoods Inc. (Hereford, Texas), Oops … I Pooped (Burbank , Calif.) and The Privileged Pooch (Beverly Hills, Calif.). [February 2005 PET AGE]

Biscuits & Bath, a pet-care facility in Manhattan, teamed with Animal Care & Control, New York’s largest pet rescue organization, to launch a new dog adoption program designed to end pet euthanasia in five years. Every animal adopted through the program receives a six-month Biscuits & Bath membership worth $175, a free initial veterinary visit at select clinics, and a 20 percent discount on vet bills, excluding catastrophic illness, for one year. Adoption-ready dogs in the program will wear vests by fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi during their daily walks to attract the attention of potential owners. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The Blaze Co. (Venice, Calif.) received a Platinum MarCom Creative Award in the television placement category for media coverage of Combat dog toys by Bamboo, a division of Munchkin Inc. (North Hills, Calif.). [February 2005 PET AGE]

Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.) reported net sales of $310.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2004, up 21 percent from $257.4 million for the year-earlier period. The company projects net sales of $1.40 billion to $1.43 billion for the 2005 fiscal year, an increase of approximately 11 percent compared with the 2004 fiscal year. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (Princeton, N.J.) reported net sales of $420.3 million for the third quarter of 2004, up 58 percent from $265.6 million for the year-earlier period. The company expected to increase marketing spending on Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat litter and other products in the fourth quarter. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Del Monte Foods Co. (San Francisco) reported net sales of $846.6 million for the second quarter of 2004, up 6.9 percent from $791.6 million in the year-earlier period. Sales for the pet products division—which makes 9Lives, Kibbles ’n Bits, Pup-Peroni, Snausages and NawSomes! brands—were $217.5 million, up 13 percent from $192.2 million in the year-earlier period. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Doane Pet Care Co. (Brentwood, Tenn.), the largest manufacturer of private-label pet food and the second largest manufacturer of dry pet food in the United States, reported net sales of $251 million for the third quarter of 2004, up 3 percent from $243.8 million for the year-earlier period. In November, the company entered into a new $230 million senior credit facility agreement, refinancing its existing senior credit facility. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Doggles in November moved to a larger facility at 6160 Enterprise Drive, Unit G, Diamond Springs, CA 95619-9441. For more information, call 866-DOGGLES or (530) 344-1645, or visit www.doggles.com. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Dogswell L.L.C. (San Francisco) signed a deal to place its products, including Happy Hips and Vitality supplement-enhanced treats, in Whole Foods Markets in the Southern Pacific region. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Earth’s Balance (Bedford Park, Ill.) named Morty Brown Associates Inc. (New York) 2004 Sales Representatives of the Year for having the highest sales over a 12-month period. Morty Brown Associates has represented Earth’s Balance for nine years, and has shown sales increases of 35 percent to 40 percent every year.

Fe-Lines Inc. moved its sales and marketing office to 5108 Chad Drive, Suite 100, Tyler, TX 75703-3919.

Fe-Lines Inc. (Tyler, Texas) made Buddy Fund donations to The Humane Society of the United States (Washington), $500; Mustang Emergency Rescue Group (Fort Worth, Texas), $500; Alley Cat Trap & Rescue (Fort Worth, Texas), $250; American Cancer Society, $100; Hearts for Animals (Fort Worth, Texas), $250; California Siamese Rescue, $120 in Sticky Paws products; and Texas Animal Control Association, $120 in Sticky Paws products. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Launched in November, www.floweressencesforanimals.com provides custom flower essence blends to reduce animals’ stress. The site, was featured on Pet Talk, a popular cable TV show in Norwalk, Conn., on its Nov. 20 launch date. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The Garmon Corp./NaturVet (Temecula, Calif.) recently unveiled a dealer rewards program that includes monthly sales and discount promotions, manufacturer’s rebate offers, co-op advertising, a free educational product guide, free in-store signage and literature, free point-of-purchase displays, free educational audio tapes and CDs and more. Participants also can be listed on www.naturvet.com to obtain local customer referrals. For more information, call 888-628-8783. [February 2005 PET AGE]

GPC Pet Products (Muscatine, Iowa) launched a rewards program for cat breeders who recommend World’s Best Cat Litter. Participating breeders can get discount coupons, kitten kits and free litter for their customers. Register online at www.worldsbestcatlitter.com or call 877-367-9225 to request an application. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The Honest Kitchen Inc. (San Diego) reported a 420 percent increase in gross sales for the 2004 fiscal year, versus 2003 figures. Company officials attributed growth to the substantial increase in public awareness about the benefits of raw or natural diets for dogs.
Additionally, the company added two distributors: Allgemeiner (Vancouver, Wash.), serving Oregon and Idaho, and Nature’s Way Pet Products (Riverside County, Calif.), serving regional retailers and veterinarians. [February 2005 PET AGE]

International Absorbents Inc. (Ferndale, Wash.), parent company of Absorption Corp. , in December began shipping products from its new Jesup, Ga., facility in December. The company now produces 100 percent of its CareFresh Ultra cat litter at the facility. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The International Housewares Association (Rosemont, Ill.) and the National Association of Retail Marketing Services (Plover, Wis.) will co-locate their shows in 2005. The ARMS Supermarket Promotion Show will take place March 18-20 and the International Home & Housewares Show will take place March 20-22 at McCormick Place in Chicago. For more information, call IHA at 800-752-1052 or visit www.housewares.org, or call NARMS at (732) 842-5070. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Latka’s Treats L.L.C. (New York) recently launched its third Have a Heart Valentine’s campaign, raising funds and public awareness for homeless dogs. Through Feb. 28, the company will donate 10 percent of sales proceeds from online and in-store purchases of Latka’s Valentine Day products to Stray From the Heart, a dog rescue, rehabilitation and placement organization. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Lavender Meadows Inc. (Sonoma County, Calif.) is donating $1 from every sale of its Zen Kittie and Zen Doggie collar sachets to the Petaluma Animal Shelter. The proceeds will help cover the costs of veterinary procedures. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The Meow Mix Co. (Secaucus, N.J.) donated 44,000 pounds of Meow Mix cat food to animal shelters and rescue groups in Alabama and Florida, where hurricanes Charley, Ivan, Frances and Jeanne caused the most damage. Volunteers at Pets & Animal in Distress, a nonprofit animal welfare organization in Florida, coordinated delivery of the food in November and raised money to cover delivery costs. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Merrick Petfoods Inc. (Hereford, Texas) received an award for Best Pet Food of the Year from the Glycemic Research Institute (Washington), an independent clinical-testing facility that provides nonbiased nutritional information. The institute listed Merrick’s Grammy’s Pot Pie and Turducken for dogs as the top pet foods for 2004. [February 2005 PET AGE]

The New York Dog Magazine, an upscale periodical catering to dog owners, launched last fall, combining biting humor, articles by New York writers and professional photography. The bimonthly publication is sold at bookstores, newsstands and pet stores across the United States, Canada and parts of Europe. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Old Mother Hubbard (Lowell, Mass.) received a bronze Echo award from the Direct Marketing Association (New York) for a direct-response campaign for Wellness brand dog and cat foods. The targeted outreach program educated veterinarians about the preventive benefits of a whole-food diet for pets and introduced Wellness natural foods. [February 2005 PET AGE]

A quarterly publication focused on high-end dog products, Paw Luxuries Magazine is set to launch this spring in South Florida, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta and upscale pet boutiques across the country. The magazine will include features about pampered pooches and owners who spend a fortune on them, profiles of dog-friendly five-star resorts and hotels, photographic essays of trendsetters in the pet world and news. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Paws and Claws Pet Boutique opened its doors for business at 30 Main St. in Jackson, Calif., in November. The boutique’s upscale and artist-designed offerings include hats, sweaters, rain slickers, dog boots, collars and leashes, necklaces, ceramic food dishes, carved wood figurines and pet-themed purses. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Pet Quarters Inc., formerly a mail-order catalog and Internet-based pet supply company in Lonoke, Ark., and several individual shareholders in November filed a complaint against the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., the Depository Trust Co. and the National Securities Clearing Corp. in the Circuit Court of Pulaski County, Ark.. The complaint alleges that the defendants acted in concert to allow an increase in the supply of stock through the Stock Borrow Program, causing downward pressure on the price of Pet Quarters stock. It further alleges that the defendants permitted sellers of shares to maintain significant open “fail to deliver” positions of millions of shares for extended periods of time, creating unregistered, free-trading shares and an increased number of shares in the marketplace without authority. The plaintiffs seek more than $400 million in damages. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Pet Supermarket (Sunrise, Fla.), the nation’s largest independently owned pet specialty store, opened a new store at 2959 North Druid Hills Road in Atlanta. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Pet Valu Inc. (Markham, Ontario) reported net sales of $32.3 million for the third quarter of 2004, up 7 percent from $30.2 million for the year-earlier period. Comparable store sales increased 3.7 percent in the United States and 3 percent in Canada, which officials attributed to expanded product offerings, improved in-store inventory positioning and successful promotions. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) reported net sales of $455.5 million for the third quarter of 2004, up 12.9 percent from $403.6 million for the year-earlier period. Comparable store sales rose 7 percent in the quarter.
The company opened 24 stores during the quarter, bringing its base to 705 locations. During the same period, the company remodeled 15 stores, giving it more than 300 locations with its latest store formats. It plans to open 60 to 70 more stores in 2005 and continue to remodel existing stores. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Petland Inc. in November opened a new store at 5701 E. Circle Drive in Cicero, N.Y. The 5,000-square-foot store carries a wide range of pets, including puppies and kittens, and a full line of pet supplies. [February 2005 PET AGE]

PetMed Express Inc. (Pompano Beach, Fla.) updated its Web site with a more user-friendly search engine and more space for internal advertisements. [February 2005 PET AGE]

PetsMart Inc. (Phoenix) in November began testing a Doggie Day Camp service in a 2,400-square-foot stand-alone facility at its store in Pasadena, Calif. The facility includes separate rooms that can accommodate supervised group play for dogs, a check-in and reception desk, dedicated relief areas and a space for “time outs.” [February 2005 PET AGE]

PetsMart Inc. (Phoenix) reported net sales of $826.8 million for the third quarter of 2004, up 13 percent from $732.7 million for the year-earlier period. Comparable store sales grew 6.7 percent.
Service-related sales were $57.8 million for the quarter, up 23.5 percent from the year-earlier period. The company continues to explore service business adjacencies and announced plans to roll out a PetsHotel concept to the chain.
The company opened 26 locations and closed two locations, giving it a base of 702 stores. [February 2005 PET AGE]

As part of its mission to give back to the community, Planet Dog (Portland, Maine) created a Employee Volunteer Program in which all employees volunteer four hours per month of their paid work time at nonprofit animal welfare, environmental or educational organizations of their choice. [February 2005 PET AGE]

PoochPads Inc. (Celebration, Fla.) recently introduced an online ordering service for retailers, allowing them to place wholesale-minimum orders 24 hours a day, year-round. The service caters to retailers who want to place special orders or to stock only a limited selection of products for incontinent dogs. To order, visit www.poochpad.com, click on “retailer” and enter the user name “poochpad” and password “pet.” [February 2005 PET AGE]

PoshPetShop.com (Delray Beach, Fla.) launched in November, offering upscale gifts for pets and pet lovers, including bedding, apparel, custom-built doghouses and hand-painted animal portraits. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Reigning Cats & Dogs opened its doors for business at 209 N. Commerce St. in Culpeper, Va., in November. Offering gifts and accessories for pets and people, the boutique emphasizes products made by small U.S. companies. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Shampooch opened at 803 Sanford Lane in Mountain Home, Ark., in November. The grooming shop provides pet pickup/delivery services, and also retails pet supplies and food. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Syniverse Technologies (Tampa, Fla.) and GPSTracks (New York) launched GlobalPetFinder to allow people to use their mobile phone, pager or personal digital assistant to monitor their pets’ location. Owners set boundaries on a battery-operated collar, which notifies owners when pets wander outside the boundaries. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Total Canine Care opened at 10 Main St. in Clarksville, Tenn., in November. The dog-friendly store carries natural pet foods, treats, supplements, frozen raw diets, toys and gifts, and offers private and group obedience lessons in a 500-square-foot training ring. [February 2005 PET AGE]

United Industries Corp. (St. Louis) reported net sales of $171 million for the 2004 third quarter, up 64 percent from $104 million for the year-earlier period. The above-average increase was driven in part by the company’s acquisition of United Pet Group (Cincinnati). [February 2005 PET AGE]

Urban Dogs (Tacoma) opened its second location in November. The Bellevue, Wash., store carries items such as oversize tennis balls, leather dog carriers, dog coats and microfiber towels, as well as some cat products. It also offers home pet-sitting services and dog-training classes. [February 2005 PET AGE]

In support of the sixth annual Iams Have a Heart: Home 4 the Holidays campaign, Veterinary Pet Insurance (Brea, Calif.) offered a 5 percent discount on insurance policies for pets adopted from participating U.S. shelters from Nov. 8 to Jan. 2. [February 2005 PET AGE]

Whiskers Pet Emporium, celebrated its grand opening Walnut Creek, Calif., on Nov. 13. The 4,000-square-foot boutique offers fine pet accessories, supplies and furnishings, as well as self-service pet wash facilities, an in-store pet studio, and pet food and “barkery” sections.