All Pet Supply USA (Miami) now carries products from Bergan L.L.C. (Monkey Island, Okla.), Marvelous Pet Supplies (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Nootie (Del Ray Beach, Fla.) and Tradewinds (St. Joseph, Mo.). [March 2010 PET AGE]

The American Pet Products Association (Greenwich, Conn.) negotiated new car-service agreements with various transportation companies serving attendees of Global Pet Expo, March 25-27 in Orlando, Fla. APPA made the change to avoid high, inconsistent fees charged by car services during the 2009 show. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The special exhibiting sections for Global Pet Expo 2010 sold out nearly two months before the March 25-27 show in Orlando, Fla., according to show organizers the American Pet Products Association (Greenwich, Conn.) and the Pet Industry Distributors Association (Bel Air, Md.).  The special sections, which highlight product trends, are The Boutique, Everything Aquatic, What’s New! and the debut Natural Pet area, which will feature healthy, organic and environmentally friendly products. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Canidae Pet Foods (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) will award four $2,500 scholarships to veterinary medical students in 2010. Applications are due April 15. Learn more at www.canidae.com/scholarships/.[March 2010 PET AGE]

Caring4Pets (Huntington Station, N.Y.), a pet sitting service specifically for elderly, disabled and homebound pet owners, was launched on Long Island by Dr. Michel A. Selmer of Advanced Animal Care Center and licensed master social worker Jennifer Devine. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Chris Christensen Systems (Fairfield, Texas) hired Anita Bradley as national sales manager and Kerry Vandiver as plant manager and buyer. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Company of Animals, headquarters in Surrey, England, opened a stateside headquarters in Bridgeport, Conn. It hired Eric Frost as sales and marketing manager, and promoted Tony Molton to export sales manager. [March 2010 PET AGE]

DELAWARE—Exotic Animal Regulations. Pet stores that want to sell exotic animals will have to obtain a permit to do so—and make sure customers have a permit to own the animals—under new rules adopted in January by the Delaware Department of Agriculture. The regulation defines an exotic animal as a “wild mammal, hybrid of wild mammal, and a live reptile not native to or generally found in Delaware.” Exempted from the permit requirement are 25 commonly kept mammals and reptiles, including chinchillas, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, bearded dragons, chameleons and iguanas. No permits will be issued for Gila monsters, beaded lizards or Komodo dragons. Read the complete text of the regulations at www.pijac.org.petinformation/breakingnews.asp. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Free Range Dog Chews (Romeo, Mich.) moved its beef production from Brazil to Argentina. “Argentine organic beef, mostly from the Aberdeen Angus lineage, is considered some of the healthiest and highest quality and is in demand worldwide,” said Ralph Claypool, the company’s president. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The Hagen Avicultural Research Institute (Rigaud, Quebec) held its second annual Parrot Life one-day seminar in Kissimmee, Fla., to help retailers, aviculturists and bird owners learn about HARI-approved methods and products. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Herbsmith Inc. (Hartland, Wis.) now offers interactive webinars to help pet retailers learn about Chinese herbs and theories, and how these products can help pets. The program includes webinars for store employees followed by lessons tailored for customers, plus customized fliers and e-mails to connect the store with its customers. For information, visit www.herbsmithinc.com. [March 2010 PET AGE]

INDIANA—Pet Store Regulation. The House Committee on Courts & Criminal Code in January approved a bill that would require retailers to disclose background and medical information about a dog or cat for sale to any person making an offer, but dropped a proposed $25 surcharge on every dog or cat sold. At press time, the bill awaited consideration by the full House. [March 2010 PET AGE]

A special film honoring grooming innovator John Nash will be screened at Intergroom 2010 during the awards dinner on April 17. Nash, founder of the Nash Academy in Cliffside Park, N.J., and Lexington, Ky., died in December after battling cancer.

Memorial donations may be sent to the Nash Brighton Project, c/o Global Gain, 449 W. Sixth St., Lexington, KY 40508. Nash and his wife, Vivian, created the project to establish a school for the poor in a small Jamaican town.

Intergroom 2010 will be held April 16-18 at the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus, N.J. For information, visit www.intergroom.com. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Glo-Marr Products, a division of Kenic Pet Products (Lawrenceburg, Ky.), recently put prepaid envelopes in its product shipments to encourage customers to send old cell phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers (Norwell, Mass.). The organization recycles the phones to buy calling cards for soldiers and their families. For more, visit www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Nurtured Pets, a division of Lauren International Inc. (New Philadelphia, Ohio), added two distributors in the Midwest: Chart Pet Nutrition & Supplies (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Zeus and Co. (Evanston, Ill.). [March 2010 PET AGE]

Danny Selman  was promoted to president and chief operating officer of Lone Star Pet Supply Inc. (Schertz, Texas). [March 2010 PET AGE]

MISSISSIPPI—Non-Native Reptiles. House Bill 1293 would prohibit the release of non-native reptiles to protect the state’s native animals and citizens. The proposed legislation also would regulate venomous, poisonous and constrictor snakes of any kind. The bill was assigned to the House Committee on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Nano Pet Products L.L.C. (Wilton, Conn.) signed Lone Star Pet Supply Inc. (Schertz, Texas) to distribute its Dog Gone Smart beds. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (Washington) asked The Hartz Mountain Corp. (Secaucus, N.J.) to modify or discontinue advertising claims regarding Crunch n’ Clean dog biscuits and recommended that Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. (Topeka, Kan.) modify or discontinue “before and after” claims in its “Feeding is Believing” campaign. Both companies released statements saying they disagreed with NAD’s findings but would take the recommendations into consideration. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Ali O’Connor, owner of Inko’s Exemplary Pet Care Services, a division of Inko’s Pet Sitting L.L.C. in Naples, Fla., was named 2010 Business of the Year by the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (Mount Laurel, N.J.). Sherry L. Suhosky and Julie Groff, co-owners of Jack Rapid Runners L.L.C. of Placitas, N.M., were runners-up.
O’Connor, a certified small animal massage practitioner who has been a professional pet sitter for three years, was recognized during the 2010 NAPPS conference, held Jan. 22-24 in Orlando, Fla. [March 2010 PET AGE]

NEW HAMPSHIRE—Breeding Limits. House Bill 1624 would require any person having more than 10 intact dogs over the age of 4 months for the purpose of selling their offspring as household pets to meet specified care and condition requirements. It also would prohibit breeders from owning more than 50 intact dogs over the age of 4 months. At press time, the bill was set to be heard for the second time before the House Committee on Environment & Agriculture. [March 2010 PET AGE]

OurPet’s Co. (Fairport Harbor, Ohio) hired Robert A. Lentz and Associates Inc. (Hilliard, Ohio) and launched an investor relations Web site. [March 2010 PET AGE]

OurPet’s Co. (Fairport Harbor, Ohio) was granted a patent for its SmartScoop Self-scooping Cat Litter Box. The company contends that a law suit filed in 2007 by Applica Consumer Products Inc. (Miramar, Fla.) against OurPet’s, alleging infringement on one or more of Applica’s LitterMaid automated cat litter box patents, is without merit. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The Pet Care Trust (Bel Air, Md.) awarded supporting grants totaling $13,000 to three organizations involved in improving animal health and pet care: American Federation of Aviculture (Austin, Texas) for its Development of Fundamentals of Aviculture, Level II program; Hospice of Green Country (Tulsa, Okla.) for its Pet Peace of Mind Program; and the Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley (Hellertown, Pa.) for its Pet Care Educational Training for Lehigh and Northampton Counties, targeting elementary schools. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Pet Carousel (Sanger, Calif.) issued a nationwide recall of pig ears and beef hoof pet treats because of possible salmonella contamination. For information, call 800-231-3572. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The fifth Pet Fashion Week New York will be held Aug. 22-23 in New York City. The Brazilian Edition will debut April 24-25 in Sao Paulo. For information, visit www.petfashionweek.com. [March 2010 PET AGE]

The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (Ottawa) added an executive level to its membership structure, although category levels are still based on the type of business and how many employees it has. To find out more or become a member, visit www.pijaccanada.com and click “membership info” or e-mail memberservices@pijaccanada.com or call 800-667-7452. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Pet Sitters International (King, N.C.) partnered with Paws Inc. (Albany, Ind.) to license the Garfield and Odie cartoon characters as spokespeople for campaigns to promote professional in-home pet care. [March 2010 PET AGE]

San Diego-based Petco Inc. raised $4 million in 2009 for the Tree of Hope, which collects donations for homeless animals, up nearly 30 percent over the previous year. [March 2010 PET AGE]

PetSmart Charities (Phoenix) has adopted out 4 million cats through its PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers. The milestone cat, named Chloe, was adopted by the Jancarek family in Rockaway, N.J., in January. [March 2010 PET AGE]

PetSmart Inc. (Phoenix) promoted Bruce Thorn to senior vice president. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Dave Ratner, president of Dave’s Soda and Pet City (Agawam, Mass.) as well as a columnist for PET AGE, recently received the Silver Plaque from the National Retail Federation (Washington). An author, speaker and member of the board of directors for the NRF’s Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, Ratner was recognized for his success as a small-business owner. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Sojourner Farms (Minneapolis) changed its shipping policy for wholesale orders. Now a 20 percent shipping fee applies to orders less than $150, while shipping is free on orders over $150. Sojos encourages wholesale partners to order from local distributors. For details, visit www.sojos.com/wholesale.html. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Spot’s Spot (Philadelphia) won a free trip to Global Pet Expo 2010 from The Pet Industry Distributors Association (Bel Air, Md.) because it was the 1,000th store to register for PIDA’s online training program, Pet Store Pro. [March 2010 PET AGE]

UBM Asia Trade Fairs Pte Ltd. (Singapore) is the new name of CMP Asia Trade Fairs Pte Ltd., which organizes Aquarama. The next edition of the biennial aquatic industry show is scheduled for May 26-29, 2011. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Veterinary Service Inc. (Riverside, Calif.) celebrated 50 years of business in February. VSI was incorporated on Feb. 6, 1960, as a partnership between Dr. Willis D. Woodward, Dr. Donald W. Rosenberg and sales representative Frank G. Sweetman. The company first specialized in poultry-related health products and is now wholesales poultry, dairy, cattle and pet supplies. [March 2010 PET AGE]

Virbac Corp. (Fort Worth, Texas) added a store locator to its Pet-Tabs Vitamin-Mineral Supplement Web site, www.pet-tabs.us. Retailers who carry those products can be added to the interactive tool by registering at www.pet-tabs.us/retailer. [March 2010 PET AGE]

WASHINGTON—Pet Business Regulations. New regulations for King County pet stores, day cares, grooming and boarding facilities and other pet-related businesses go into effect on March 10. Visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/petregs.aspx to read the regulations. [March 2010 PET AGE]

WEST VIRGINIA—Commercial Breeding Restrictions. Senate Bill 147 would set breeding practices and specify the methods by which a commercial breeder could dispose of dogs. It also would cap at 40 the number of unsterilized dogs over the age of one year that a commercial breeder could own at any one time. The measure defines a commercial breeder as “any person who maintains 20 or more unsterilized dogs over the age of one year and is engaged in the business of breeding animals for direct or indirect sale or for exchange in return for consideration.” At press time, the bill awaited a hearing in the House Agriculture and Senate Agriculture committees. [March 2010 PET AGE]