CALIFORNIA—Animal Care Standards. Assembly Bill 2862, to impose criminal sanctions on pet stores failing to comply with stringent new standards, was put on hold at a June hearing of the Senate Committee on Business, Professions and Economic Development. No vote was taken on the measure, which was undergoing amendments at press time. [September 2006 PET AGE]

CANADA—Feed Restrictions. Final regulations adopted by Canada in July prohibit pet food from containing the brain, spinal cord and other specified risk material from cattle aged 30 months or older. The ban—which becomes effective July 12, 2007—is meant to protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy in cattle that may be inadvertently or intentionally exposed to pet food.

CANADA—Pesticides. The Pest Control Products Act, which requires additional measures to protect the safety of children and pregnant women, took effect in June. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Settling litigation involving its acquisition of T.F.H. Publications Inc. (Neptune City, N.J.), Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.) received a cash payment of $26 million from Herbert and Evelyn Axelrod, former owners of T.F.H. In September 2005, a jury ruled in favor of Central on its claim against the Axelrods for collection of a promissory note the pair signed in 1997, and for breach of warranty and fraud. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Contech Electronics Inc. (Saanichton, British Columbia) penned a new distribution agreement with Pets Paradise, a pet retailer serving 2 million customers through more than 100 stores across mainland Australia. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Crazy Pet Productions (Azusa, Calif.), partnering with Triple Take Media (Los Angeles), is developing a fun-filled miniseries to showcase core values that children learn from taking care of pets. The 52 one-minute animated episodes will be distributed worldwide on multiple platforms, including mobile media as well as broadcast and cable television. At press time, production was slated to begin in the 2006 third quarter, and distribution was slated for the 2007 first quarter. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Del Monte Corp., the wholly owned subsidiary of Del Monte Foods Co. (San Francisco), in July completed its acquisition of the Milk-Bone brand and other pet-related assets of Kraft Foods Inc. (Northfield, Ill.) for approximately $580 million. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Chilly Dawg all-natural frozen treats for dogs, distributed by Diaz Rock & Pet Supplies Inc. (Plainfield, Ill.), now are being sold under the Polar Pups brand name. [September 2006 PET AGE]

DogCatRadio.com (Los Angeles), a radio station that reaches 7 million dog and cat lovers worldwide each week, celebrated its first anniversary in June. [September 2006 PET AGE]

GPC Pet Products (Muscatine, Iowa) signed Natural First L.P. (Fort Worth, Texas), which specializes in natural and organic products, to distribute World’s Best Cat Litter and Good Boy and Good Girl treats in various markets in north and central Texas. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Hamilton Animal Products L.L.C., a wholly owned subsidiary of MiracleCorp Products (Dayton, Ohio), acquired Hamilton Products Inc. (Ocala, Fla.) in June. Hamilton, still operating out of its Florida facility, retained all of its 100-plus employees. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Helpmefindmypet.com, a new service that provides “Amber Alerts” for registered pets, notifies all shelters, rescue groups, pet retailers, breeders, grooming shops and others within a 50-mile radius of a lost pet’s last known location to improve its chances of being found. At press time, more than 20,000 people had registered for the service.

Howlin’ Moon Bakery Inc. (Downers Grove, Ill.) won the award for Best Overall Success Story in eBay’s 2006 Best in Stores Contest. The online store (stores.ebay.com/howlin-moon-designer-dog-cat-beds) has sold custom dog beds and other pet accessories on eBay for more than five years. [September 2006 PET AGE]

ILLINOIS—Bird Sales. House Bill 4162, to regulate commercial bird sellers, died in the House Committee on Rules. The measure would have amended the state Animal Welfare Act to define “bird marts” and “bird vendors.” It also would have added sanitation, veterinary care and housing provisions, and imposed restrictions on the sale of birds. [September 2006 PET AGE]

International Absorbents Inc. (Ferndale, Wash.) is expanding the retail presence of Healthy Pet and Critter Care small-animal bedding, with more than 5,300 shelf facings to be added to the grocery and mass merchandiser channels by the end of summer. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Lil’ Pals Pet Photography (Memphis, Tenn.) recently added mobile pet photography franchises in Columbus, Ohio, and Stratford, N.J. Franchisees offer photographic portraits, oil portraits and gift items. For information, visit www.lilpalsphoto.com. [September 2006 PET AGE]

LittleGifts Inc. moved its corporate offices to 555 Eighth Ave., Suite 1009, New York, NY 10018. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Mars Inc. (McLean, Va.) in June completed its acquisition of Doane Pet Care Enterprises Inc., the parent company of private-label pet food manufacturer Doane Pet Care Co. (Nashville, Tenn.), from Teacher’s Private Capital, the private equity arm of Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition did not include Doane’s European business, which was sold to a third party. [September 2006 PET AGE]

MINNESOTA—Unweaned Birds. Senate Bill 1970, to restrict the possession and sale of unweaned birds by pet stores, died in the Senate Agriculture, Vets and Gaming Committee. The legislation also would have barred “vendors,” including brokers, agents, aviaries and breeders, from selling unweaned birds, and mandated records on disposition of the birds by pet stores and vendors. [September 2006 PET AGE]

My Good Dog (Biddeford, Maine) signed agreements with three manufacturers’ representative firms: The Pet Brokers for California; Pet Product Sales Group for New England; and Amy Shapiro Sales Group for the Pacific Northwest. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Neeps Inc. (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.) launched its 18th micro-site featuring brand-specific products: BuyMarshall.com offers ferret food and accessories from Marshall Ferrets & Pet Products (Wolcott, N.Y.). [September 2006 PET AGE]

PENNSYLVANIA—Pet Warranty Law. Senate Bill 1252, to amend the state’s pet warranty law, was assigned to the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The measure would extend the time allowed a buyer to certify an unfit condition and the time limit for coverage of a congenital or hereditary condition. The bill also would double the cap on recovery of veterinary fees and provide for reimbursement if a seller has “misrepresented the dog’s pedigree to the purchaser.” [September 2006 PET AGE]

PET AGE won a silver Azbee in the original research category for its “2005 PET AGE Retailer Report” in the American Society of Business Publication Editors’ 28th annual awards of excellence program. The national award, for an article based on a survey, product ranking or other proprietary documentation by a publication, recognizes the quality of writing, reporting and editing; the development of the subject; the presentation; and the article’s value to readers. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Pet Ecology Brands Inc. (Dallas) signed distribution agreements with Central Pet (Mahwah, N.J., and Tampa, Fla.), Freedom Pet Supply (Cambridge, Ontario), Royal Pet Supplies Inc. (Brentwood, N.Y., and Pompano Beach, Fla.) and Veterinary Services Inc. (Modesto, Calif.). It also added four international distributors: Pacifica Co. in Taiwan, Pro-Animal in the Netherlands, Profit Pet in Romania and Vetex-Animal in Israel. [September 2006 PET AGE]

PetaPotty recently opened SkyBark, a nightclub for pets and people, on the roof of its Los Angeles showroom. Open for fund-raising events, the 7,500-square-foot club features two sod-covered dance floors for dogs, a dog bar and a fully stocked bar and catered food for people. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) appointed M&C Saatchi LA as its new advertising agency, responsible for developing an integrated advertising and marketing program for the company. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Petland Inc. (Chillicothe, Ohio) opened a 6,000-square-foot store in the Hilliard Station Shopping Center in Hilliard, Ohio. Michael Mott is the general manager. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Represented by ArtworkLicensing, Pipsqueak Productions (Honesdale, Pa.) signed a deal with Procter & Gamble to feature Mary Badenhop’s distinctive Labrador retriever and German shepherd puppy designs on Bounty paper towels, and another deal with Crazy Mountain for ornaments, figurines and other holiday items. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Prevue Pet Products Inc. (Chicago) redesigned its Web site, www.prevuepet.com, with user-friendly product listings featuring more in-depth information, a video demonstration of the Clean Life Cage System, a section for replacement parts orders, a section for bird breeders and hobbyists, and links to the company’s online retail partners. [September 2006 PET AGE]

Virbac Corp. (Fort Worth, Texas) in June settled an investigation conducted by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission into alleged violations of federal securities law relating to the restatement of financial statements for the two years ended Dec. 31, 2002, and the interim periods ended March 31 and June 30, 2003. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Virbac consented to an injunction requiring future compliance with specific provisions of the federal securities law. The company also agreed to implement annual training programs and internal certifications for certain personnel for accounting, compliance and regulatory matters. [September 2006 PET AGE]