Big Al’s Aquarium Center, Canada’s largest aquarium chain, recently opened its first U.S. outpost. The 18,000-square-foot store in Tamarac, Fla., features a 5,000-gallon shark tank, more than 45,000 gallons of water displays and Florida’s largest selection of fresh- and saltwater fish and supplies. Company officials, working with Aquarium Retail Holdings of Fort Lauderdale, plan to expand the store concept throughout the United States.

The Bug Co. recently broke ground on a new office building and a production/shipping facility at its headquarters in Ham Lake, Minn. Together, the two new buildings are expected to increase production and triple capacity. [September 2005 PET AGE]

California—Breed-Specific Legislation. The Assembly’s Local Government Committee passed Senate Bill 861, to permit municipalities to enact breed-specific laws, after it was amended to limit breed-specific measures to those pertaining to mandatory spay/neuter programs and breeding restrictions. Cities that adopt the restrictions would be required to compile quarterly reports on dog bites and submit them to the state veterinarian. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Chomp Inc. moved its offices to 20 Mathewson Drive, Weymouth, MA 02189. The move allows the company to consolidate its staff into one location and to expand its warehousing and packaging capabilities. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Del Monte Foods Co. (San Francisco) reported net sales of $220.4 million for its pet products division for the 2005 fourth quarter, down 5.2 percent from $232.5 million for the year-earlier period. The company’s pet brands include 9Lives, Kibbles ’n Bits, Pup-Peroni, Snausages and NawSomes! [September 2005 PET AGE]

Dogmatic Products Inc. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) offers details about its dog and cat products, links to retail stores and information for prospective wholesalers and dealers at its new Web site, www.godogma.com. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Doskocil Manufacturing/Petmate Pet Products recently acquired Stylette Pet Products, and will market Stylette products under both the Petmate and Stylette brand names. Stylette operations have moved from Oakdale, Pa., to the Doskocil facilities in Arlington, Texas. According to published news reports, Stylette ended production last September after equipment, inventory and office space were damaged during record floods. [September 2005 PET AGE]

EkkWill Waterlife Resources (Gibsonton, Fla.) won the 2005 Sustainable Florida Small Business Award from the Council for Sustainable Florida for outstanding sustainable business practices, including innovative technology, captive breeding of new fishes, environmental stewardship, water conservation, industry service and business growth. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Ethical Products Inc. (Bloomfield, N.J.) acquired the Vermont Style Chew Toys brand from Lambert Kay (Princeton, N.J.). Ethical plans to broaden the toy line and offer planograms. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Florida—Dangerous Dogs. Hollywood lawmakers repealed as unenforceable an ordinance requiring owners of “dangerous dogs” to buy $100,000 insurance policies after it became clear that insurance companies would not write such policies. A new ordinance that toughens requirements for proper food, shelter and veterinary care was adopted in lieu of the insurance requirement. [September 2005 PET AGE]

A new page on the Web site for the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is designed to increase consumer and regulator awareness about a 1975 regulation banning the sale of turtles less than 4 inches. The ban has prevented about 100,000 cases of salmonellosis per year, according to the site. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Four Preppy Paws (Boston) is donating 10 percent of sales from its American Classic accessories line to Puppies Behind Bars, a program that allows prison inmates in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York to raise puppies to become working dogs. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Free Range Dog Chews Inc. (Sterling Heights, Mich.) signed five distributors: Golden Tails Inc. (Bowmansville, N.Y.), Kearns Pet Supply (Huntley, Ill.), Solid Gold Northland (Minneapolis), Watkins Pet Supplies (Oxford, Mich.) and Zeigler’s (Litiz, Pa.). Free Range also opened a third warehouse to accommodate its expanding business. [September 2005 PET AGE]

GPC Pet Products (Muscatine, Iowa) added two distributors: General Pet Inc. (Springfield, Mo.) for northern Arkansas, Illinois, central Indiana, southeast Iowa, southeast Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma; and PetNet (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) for Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. [September 2005 PET AGE]

GPC Pet Products (Muscatine, Iowa) offers news and product information for consumers, retailers and distributors at its new Web site, www.gpcpet.com. [September 2005 PET AGE]

The Honest Kitchen Inc. added three distributors: Country Home Distributing (Chicago City, Minn.) for Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota; Frontbell Corp. (Saitama City, Japan); and Mabuchi Corp. (Aichi-Ken, Japan). [September 2005 PET AGE]

Hunkydory *paper products (San Antonio) signed a licensing agreement allowing mjZoom (San Francisco) to put Hunkydory photographs on the covers of its fotos2go portable photo albums. [September 2005 PET AGE]

International Absorbents Inc. (Ferndale, Wash.) reported sales of $5.9 million for the 2006 first quarter, up 7 percent from $5.5 million for the year-earlier period. The company, which makes commercial and consumer products from renewable and recyclable materials, is the parent of Absorption Corp. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Jakks Pacific Inc. (Malibu, Calif.), which manufactures action figures and other toys, in June acquired the Pet Pal line of pet toys, treats and other items, including those based on the American Kennel Club, SpongeBob SquarePants, Madagascar, Shrek and Barbie, from Pet Pal Corp. (Chelsea, Mass.). Jakks will develop the line through its new subsidiary, Pet Pal Corp., in Carlsbad, Calif. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Kay Berry (Saxonburg, Pa.) awarded $500 in merchandise to six retailers who submitted product and merchandising ideas in the first Berry Good Giveaway contest: Lisa Pappas of Flickers and Flames Candle Shop (Proctorville, Ohio); Theodore Metayer Jr. of Heavenly Inspirations Flowers & Gifts (Ludlow, Mass.); Jeanine Meiners of Jeanine’s Hallmark Cards & Gifts (Carroll, Iowa); Linda Zoerb of La Crosse Floral (La Crosse, Wis.); Debbie Stragier of Straigier’s Sunbright Flowers (Clinton Township, Mich.); and Sharon L. Bloom of Sunset Beach Gift Shops (Cape May Point, N.J.). [September 2005 PET AGE]

The Meow Mix Co. (Secaucus, N.J.) gave a one-year supply of cat food to 250 people who adopted cats from any shelter or rescue group that belongs to the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals this summer. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Merial Ltd. (Duluth, Ga.) in June produced its billionth pipette of Frontline, a topical flea/tick control product. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Missouri—Invasive Species. Effective Sept. 30, a new rule in the state’s wildlife code makes it illegal to possess invasive plant and animal species. Possession of an invasive plant or animal is a Class A misdemeanor, with a maximum fine of $1,000 and a year in jail. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Nestle Purina PetCare Co. (St. Louis) offers downloadable digital audio files from its “Animal Advice” radio program, weekly pet care tips as well as pet-themed ring tones and wallpapers for mobile phones at www.purina.com/downloads as part of its first podcasting and mobile marketing campaign. [September 2005 PET AGE]

New Road Marketing (Evergreen, Colo.) packaged 20,000 Treat Keep dog treat holders with the help of Northern Hills Training Center (Spearfish, S.D.), which provides residential and work options for adults who have developmental disabilities. [September 2005 PET AGE]

NexPet Retailer Group (New York) recently released Top 66 Retail Promotion Ideas, which describes many customer events used successfully by members of the independent store co-op. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Ohio—Pesticide and Pet Food Fees. Gov. Bob Taft signed into law House Bill 66, to increase the registration fee for pesticides and the inspection fee for commercial feed. The pesticide registration fee will increase from $100 per product registered to $150 per product, effective January 2007. The feed inspection fees will increase from 10 cents per ton with a minimum of $10, to 25 cents per ton with a minimum of $25. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Bobbi Panter Natural Pet Pampering Products (Chicago) in July began distributing its high-end aromatherapy dog shampoos to 230 Petco stores across the country. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Pet Supermarket (Sunrise, Fla.) opened its 100th store in June. The store is at 20040 Van Aken Blvd. in Shaker Heights, Ohio. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) filed Form 10-Q for the 2005 first quarter and Form 10-K for the 2004 fiscal year in June, bringing it back in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission filing requirements. Consequently, Petco kept its Nasdaq listing and its trading symbol was restored to “PETC” effective July 1. The company reported net sales of $492.3 million for the 2005 first quarter, and net sales of $1.8 billion for fiscal 2004. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) will hold Greyhound Planet Week Sept. 12-18 to raise funds for greyhound welfare groups nationwide. During the program, Petco employees will encourage customers, vendors and associates to round up purchases to the nearest dollar. Since its inception three years ago, the program has raised more than $230,000 for retired greyhound racers. [September 2005 PET AGE]

PetsMart Inc. (Phoenix) ranked 70 out of the 100 largest retailers in the United States, according to a new list compiled by Stores magazine (Washington). PetsMart posted revenue of $3.36 billion in 2004, up 12 percent from 2003. [September 2005 PET AGE]

PetsMart Inc. (Phoenix) in June approved a program allowing the company to purchase up to $270 million of its common stock through the end of fiscal 2006. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Planet Dog (Portland, Maine) and Planet Dog Philanthropy, the company’s grant-making arm, donated $732 to Maine Vest-A-Dog to purchase a protective vest for Jasou, a police dog in Scarborough, Maine. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Precision Pet Products (Costa Mesa, Calif.) donated $2,790.45—the proceeds from its recent America’s Family Pet Expo booth—to the Irvine Animal Care Center in Irvine, Calif., to help homeless animals. The center, which takes in turtles, snakes, guinea pigs, hamsters, baby alligators, goats, pot-bellied pigs and chickens as well as dogs and cats, adopted out 1,792 pets last year. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Royal Pet Supplies Inc. built a 20,000-square-foot addition onto its Pompano Beach, Fla., facility. With the addition, which includes a larger cool room for bird seed and greater freezer capabilities for frozen fish foods, the Florida facility encompasses 145,000 square feet. [September 2005 PET AGE]

S&M NuTec L.L.C. (Kansas City, Mo.) received the Stevie Award for best overall company with less than 100 employees from the American Business Association, and the 2005 Small Business of the Year Award for its commitment to good business practices, employee relations and community service from the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Sherpa’s Pet Trading Co. (New York) lists pet-specific travel regulations for more than 100 airlines, plus consumer-friendly information on making arrangements for pets traveling by plane, at its new Web site, www.sherpa.com. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Spectrum Brands Inc. (Atlanta) said that its global pet business unit, which encompasses United Pet Group and Tetra, will operate as a separate business unit in Cincinnati. [September 2005 PET AGE]

T.W. Enterprises (Ferndale, Wash.) and Aron Pet Food (Abbotsford, British Columbia) in June recalled six varieties of pet treats distributed in the United States and Canada after cases of salmonella were reported in humans. The recalled treats include: Salmon Snackers 100% Salmon Treats for Dogs, 50-gram package; Salmon Snackers 100% Salmon Treats for Cats, 50-gram package; Shrimp Snackers 100% Shrimp Treats for Dogs, 28-gram package; Shrimp Snackers 100% Shrimp Treats for Cats, 28-gram package; Healthy K9 Beef Jerky 100% Natural Dog Treats, 70-gram package; and Healthy K9 Beef Heart 100% Natural Dog Treats, 70-gram package. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Three Dog Bakery (Seattle) in July hosted three Dine With Your Dog fund-raising dinners at local restaurants to benefit the Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville, Wash. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Three Dog Bakery Colorado (Denver) in July hosted its first Three Dog’s Night Out fund-raising dinner to benefit The Gracie Foundation (Tucson, Ariz.), which provides a refuge for abused, neglected and homeless dogs. [September 2005 PET AGE]

Vermont—Pesticide and Pet Food Fees. Legislators passed a bill that will increase pesticide registration fees from $75 to $92 per product. Registration for commercial feed will increase from $50 to $70 per product. [September 2005 PET AGE]

The Spring Roll dog toy developed for Wetnoz International L.L.C. by Design Edge (Austin, Texas) won a gold Industrial Design Excellence Award in the consumer products category from the Industrial Designers Society of America (Dulles, Va.). [September 2005 PET AGE]