Aquascape Designs Inc. (Batavia, Ill.) awarded a 2005 Lotus Elise sports car to Kevin and Sherri Kukuchka of Creekside Gardens (Tunkhannock, Pa.), the winner of a four-part photo and essay contest. More than 90 pond builders and retailers entered the contest. [October 2005 PET AGE]

ARIZONA--Animal Terrorism. Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed Senate Bill 1333, to provide penalties for animal terrorism. The bill defined animal terrorism as acts intended to “obstruct, impede or deter any person from participating in a lawful animal activity” and was aimed at activists engaged in conduct to disrupt animal research, breeding and selling of pets, and other legal commerce. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.) reported net sales of $413.2 million for the 2005 third quarter, up 10.4 percent from $374.4 million for the year-earlier period. Net sales for Central’s pet products segment were $163.4 million, up 12 percent from the year-earlier period. Operating income for the pet products segment was $23.6 million, up 20 percent from the year-earlier period. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.) is providing support for Dogs4Diabetics (Concord, Calif.), a nonprofit charitable organization that trains medical-alert dogs for people with Type 1 diabetes. Dogs4Diabetics was established in 2004.
[October 2005 PET AGE]

Chateau-Animaux, the largest independent pet supply store in Washington, D.C., awarded prizes ranging from a two-night stay at the luxurious Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, Quebec, to a six-month supply of pet food to gift certificates for neighboring businesses to celebrate the grand opening of its new location on Barracks Row. The 5,000-square-foot facility carries a full line of pet supplies, including aquarium and pond supplies, and live fish. It also has six self-service dog wash stations and a large dog “barkery.” [October 2005 PET AGE]

DogChewz NYC (New York) donated cases of its dog and cat bowls, porcelain treat jars, organic “Toy” Temptations cookies and more to Broadway Barks, a star-studded pet adoption event held each July to benefit animal shelters and adoption agencies in the Big Apple. Broadway Barks was founded by actresses Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Doggy Style Designs (Providence, R.I.) donated extra-large shirts for dogs to be honored during Search and Rescue and Service Dog Day. The event is hosted each September in New York by the Bear Search and Rescue Foundation (New York). [October 2005 PET AGE]

Dogmatic Products (Brooklyn, N.Y.) signed four distributors: K & W Distributing Co. Inc. (Fremont, Ohio); Mart Distributing (Indianapolis); Pet Net (West Seneca, N.Y.); and Wolverton Inc. (Lansing, Mich.). [October 2005 PET AGE]

Ethical Products Inc. (Bloomfield, N.J.) revamped its Web site, www.ethicalpet.com, to give dealers and distributors password-protected access to details about every product in the company’s line as well as promotion information and company news. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp. (Mansfield, Mass.) is awarding a 19-day trip to Uganda to serve as the official photographer of a field research expedition as well as other prizes in the Exo-Terra Nactus Award herpetological photo contest. Contestants must submit unaltered digital images of a reptile or amphibian to nactusaward@exo-terra.com by Oct. 2, 2005. For more information, visit www.exo-terra.com. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Halo Purely For Pets (Palm Harbor, Fla.) recently was chosen as the premiere pet line for The Vitamin Shoppe, a chain of more than 250 stores specializing in vitamins and nutritional supplements. Halo pet foods, treats, supplements and herbal grooming aids contain no chemicals, preservatives, fillers or coloring agents. [October 2005 PET AGE]

JAKKS Pacific Inc. (Malibu, Calif.) reported net sales of $127.1 million for the 2005 second quarter, up 16.2 percent from $109.4 million for the year-earlier period.

Jungle Laboratories Corp. (Cibolo, Texas) offers comprehensive resources to help water gardening enthusiasts keep their water features healthy and beautiful at www.junglepond.com. The Web site offers tips, do-it-yourself projects and troubleshooting techniques covering fish, fountains, water, plants and ponds. [October 2005 PET AGE]

LOUISIANA--Pet Turtles. The Department of Agriculture and Forestry adopted an emergency rule eliminating Salmonella testing requirements for pet turtles and eggs. The department said testing was no longer necessary because a non-antibiotic effective in killing Salmonella in pet turtles has been developed. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Purina Puppy Chow, made by Nestle Purina PetCare Co. (St. Louis), launched an interactive Web-based guide dedicated to puppies at www.puppychow.com. Available 24 hours a day to answer tough questions about puppies, it features a virtual host who leads visitors through an array of informational articles and videos containing tips for raising a happy , healthy pet. [October 2005 PET AGE]

NEVADA--Pesticide Registration Fees. The Nevada Department of Agriculture is proposing to raise the annual fee to register pesticides in the state from $60 to $100 for each pesticide registered. It attributes the need for the fee increase to a decrease in EPA grants and increased operating expenses. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Penn-Plax Inc. (Garden City, N.Y.) recently installed AsureNet secure computer network software by NetWolves Corp., linking its distribution centers in Garden City, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., Memphis, Tenn., and Saintes, France. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Swheat Scoop Natural Wheat Litter by Pet Care Systems (Detroit Lakes, Minn.) received an Excellence Award in the 2005 National Paperboard Packaging Competition sponsored by the Paperboard Packaging Council. The Swheat Scoop carton was designed by Matrix Partners (Chicago) and produced by Caraustar Custom Packaging. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Pet Naturals of Vermont (Essex Junction, Vt.) signed a deal to put its all-natural pet supplements in Petco stores across the country. The initial lineup includes K-9 Carb Down, the first carb-blocker with Phase 2 Pet Starch Neutralizer, as well as supplements for hip/joint dysfunction, skin problems, respiration, digestion and bladder health. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) contracted with SBC Communications Inc. to provide secure network connections to more than 700 Petco locations. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Royal Pet Meals Inc. (Austin, Texas) hired SmallCapVoice.com to help it implement a comprehensive investor relations program. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Sherpa's Pet Trading Co. (New York) summarizes pet-related regulations for more than 100 airlines at www.sherpapet.com, making it easier for pet owners to make arrangements to travel with their pets. Each airline link includes the carrier’s telephone number, rules, regulations, charges and other details pertaining to pets. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Spectrum Brands Inc. (Atlanta) reported net sales of $730.4 million for the 2005 third quarter, up 136.9 percent from $308.3 million for the year-earlier period. Sales for United Industries were $354.6 million, up 8 percent from the year-earlier period. Sales for Tetra in the nine-week period subsequent to its acquisition were $40 million, up 7 percent from the year-earlier period. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Ruff Wear (Bend, Ore.) provided 60 pairs of its 3D Bark’n Boots to the government’s Technical Support Working Group to outfit bomb-sniffing dogs in Iraq. [October 2005 PET AGE]

Weis Markets Inc. (Sunbury, Pa.) reported sales of $535.7 million for the 2005 second quarter, up 2.8 percent from $521.4 million for the year-earlier period. Weis Markets operates 157 supermarkets in six states as well as SuperPetz, a pet supply superstore chain with 32 locations in 11 states. [October 2005 PET AGE]

WEST VIRGINIA--Exotic Animals. A measure that would have established an Exotic Animal Regulation Board died in committee. Senate Bill 277 would have vested the board with authority to “establish requirements for the operation of pet shops selling or breeding exotic animals, including standards of care for those animals” Any animal not qualifying as wildlife or a domestic animal would have been defined as “exotic.”