THE BRAMTON CO. (Dallas) acquired TAME PRODUCTS (San Diego) and its Bags on Board product line for an undisclosed amount. According to Roger Morgan, president and chief executive officer of Bramton, the acquisition is part of a broader initiative to further penetrate the pet waste management market. [November 2006 PET AGE]

CALIFORNIA—Animal Care Standards. The Assembly concurred with Senate amendments to Assembly Bill 2862, requiring the Department of Consumer Affairs to adopt regulations for the care and handling of companion animals sold to the general public by Jan. 1, 2008. At press time, the bill awaited Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. [November 2006 PET AGE]

CALIFORNIA—Unattended Pets. The legislature in September passed a bill that makes it a crime to leave pets unattended in cars under life-threatening conditions. Senate Bill 1806 imposes fines up to $500 or up to six months’ jail time for convicted offenders. It also authorizes animal control officers to remove an animal from a car, including breaking into a locked vehicle, if the animal is suffering from heat stress. At press time, the bill awaited Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. [November 2006 PET AGE]

CHIMPFEET.COM (Coachella, Calif.), an online store, now offers affordable yet distinctive gifts for dogs, cats, birds, fish, small animals and their owners. [November 2006 PET AGE]

DEL MONTE FOODS CO. (San Francisco), reported net sales of $674.1 million for the 2007 first quarter, up 9.3 percent from $616.6 million for the prior-year period thanks primarily to its acquisitions of the Meow Mix and Milk-Bone brands. Pet products net sales were $253.5 million for the quarter, up 30.4 percent from $194.4 million in the prior-year period. [November 2006 PET AGE]

DESIGN NORTH (Racine, Wis.) won a 2006 American Corporate Identity Award for creating a unified brand identity and packaging system for aquarium light hoods and other products by ALL-GLASS AQUARIUM CO. INC. (Franklin, Wis.). [November 2006 PET AGE]

DIRECT PET HEALTH HOLDINGS INC. (Dallas) entered the pet health insurance market, offering policies for consumers and businesses as well as private-label insurance to strategic partners in complementary segments of the market. [November 2006 PET AGE]

DRS. FOSTER & SMITH (Rhinelander, Wis.) and PETSAFE (Knoxville, Tenn.) teamed to launch My Pet Idea, a national Web-based contest to find the best ideas for new products to enhance the owner-pet relationship and improve a pet’s quality of life. Winners will receive $2,500, $5,000 or a $25,000 grand prize. For more information, visit www.mypetidea.com. [November 2006 PET AGE]

EAGLE PACK PET FOODS INC. completed construction of its new 30,000-square-foot warehouse in August, just in time for the re-launch of its Holistic Select line. Connected to the company’s existing warehouse and production facilities in Mishawaka, Ind., the new building doubles warehouse capacity and also houses laboratory and quality assurance departments.

FASHION ANGELS ENTERPRISES (Milwaukee) received the Individual Partnership Award-Small Vendors from PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES INC. (San Diego) for its Build a Better Pet Collar program, displayed under Petco’s Dickens Closet private label. [November 2006 PET AGE]

FELIX & FIFI’S BAKERY (Algonquin, Ill.) was named best Chicagoland dog bakery in Chicagoland Tails’ 2006 Reader’s Choice Awards. The bakery specializes in all-natural gourmet treats and carries a variety of pet boutique items. [November 2006 PET AGE]

FETCH INC. (Philadelphia) launched Petplan Insurance in the United States. Petplan, operated under exclusive license and underwritten by American National Property and Casualty Co., offers flexible policies to meet pet owners’ needs. Petplan is the registered trademark of Petplan Ltd. in the United Kingdom. [November 2006 PET AGE]

FIRST PET LIFE INC. (Dallas) inked agreements with several Web-based suppliers to provide its pet health insurance policyholders with discounts of 20 percent to 50 percent on regularly purchased items. At press time, the company planned to launch its partnership products in its e-commerce pet store. [November 2006 PET AGE]

FTI FOODTECH INTERNATIONAL INC. (Toronto) sold its Maxi Treat division, including technologies and equipment, to Joe Crump of East Caledonia, Ontario. The Maxi Treat line includes training treats for dogs and cats, as well catnip products. [November 2006 PET AGE]

GIFTY IDEA GREETING CARDS & SUCH! (Austin, Texas) signed a three-year licensing agreement allowing JAYS INTERNATIONAL TRADING CO. to produce and sell greeting cards and other paper items featuring Gifty Idea’s dog-inspired designs and images in South Africa. [November 2006 PET AGE]

Global Pet Expo, co-produced by the AMERICAN PET PRODUCTS MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION (Greenwich, Conn.) and the PET INDUSTRY DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION (Bel Air, Md.), was named one of the 50 fastest growing trade, association and consumer shows of the year by Tradeshow Week magazine. The honor goes to shows with the greatest growth in net square footage over the preceding three years. [November 2006 PET AGE]

Radio Pictures, an Australian television production company, filmed the Eighth Annual Ferret Buckeye Bash, presented by the HEART OF OHIO FERRET ASSOCIATION AND RESCUE, for a PBS documentary titled “Standards of Perfection.” [November 2006 PET AGE]

THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES (Washington) and the DORIS DAY ANIMAL LEAGUE (Washington) merged in an effort to increase public policy activity on animal welfare issues and to further streamline operations among national animal advocacy groups. Holly Hazard, executive director for DDAL, was named chief innovation officer for HSUS. Sara Amundson, legislative director for DDAL, was named executive director of The Humane Society Legislative Fund. [November 2006 PET AGE]

KAY BERRY (Saxonburg, Pa.) signed KIMPEL & CO. (Fabius, N.Y.) to represent its line in gift, garden and floral markets throughout upstate New York, and SOUTHEAST MARKETING (Coral Springs, Fla.) to represent its line in gift, garden and floral markets in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. [November 2006 PET AGE]

LIVEDEAL.COM (Santa Clara, Calif.), a free online classified ads site, signed a deal to feature PETS 911 animal shelter listings, enabling users to locate adoptable animals in close proximity to their homes. [November 2006 PET AGE]

NESTLÉ PURINA PETCARE CO. (St. Louis) offers downloadable dog and cat ring tones, podcasts, mobile wallpaper and more at www.purina.com/downloads. [November 2006 PET AGE]

A viral marketing campaign for Secondnature dog litter by NESTLÉ PURINA PETCARE CO. (St. Louis) features humorous confessions from dogs that leave “special packages” inside their homes, as well as a national contest for videos showing the creative and/or deceitful dogs do when they have an accident. For information, visit www.doglitter.com. [November 2006 PET AGE]

NEW YORK—Domestic Violence and Pets. Under a new law signed by Gov. George Pataki, a New York court recently granted an order of protection to a 5-year-old bichon frisé named Bebe. According to In Defense of Animals (Mill Valley, Calif.), the dog was violently beaten by a Bronx resident after he had argued with his partner, the dog’s owner. The offender subsequently was ordered to stay at least 100 yards away from Bebe and her owner. He faces animal cruelty charges and, if convicted, could spend a year in jail. [November 2006 PET AGE]

After two years in business, ONLY NATURAL PET STORE (Boulder, Colo.) reported a 132 percent increase in sales for the first half of 2006 versus the same period in 2005. The online store offers more than 120 brands of natural, organic or holistic pet care products. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PENNSYLVANIA—Premises Identification Program. To help animal health authorities track and contain animal disease, the commonwealth in August implemented a premises identification program. The program is designed to protect the food supply, help officials more precisely issue quarantine orders and aid in disaster planning for animals. The program identifies locations only and is not linked to any individual or specific animal. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES INC. (San Diego) reported net sales of $531.1 million for the 2006 second quarter, up 10 percent from the year-earlier period. Comparable store net sales rose 3.4 percent. Pet services sales increased 19.7 percent versus the year-earlier period. [November 2006 PET AGE]

Tiger, a 2-year-old Chihuahua from Bakersfield, Calif., won the title of America’s Fastest Chihuahua in the second annual Petco Unleashed finals, and received a $300 gift card and year’s supply of Royal Canin Chihuahua food from PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES INC. (San Diego). [November 2006 PET AGE]

PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES INC. (San Diego) joined the list of merchants available to shoppers at Shop.com, the online marketplace. [November 2006 PET AGE]

THE PETCO FOUNDATION (San Gabriel, Calif.), the charitable arm of PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES INC. (San Diego), raised more than $808,000 for Spay USA, a nationwide network and referral service for affordable spay/neuter services, and other spay/neuter-focused animal welfare organizations during its annual Round Up/Spay Today fund-raiser. During the three-week fund-raiser, Petco customers were encouraged to round up their purchase to the next highest dollar. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PETS BEST INSURANCE SERVICES L.L.C. (Boise, Idaho) acquired the pet insurance division of General Fire & Casualty Co. and other intellectual property rights from GF&C Holding Co., General Fire’s parent corporation, for more than $10 million. The new company is led by founder and president Jack Stephens, D.V.M, a former executive vice president of General Fire, and chairman and chief executive officer Greg McDonald, former chairman of GF&C Holding Co. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PETS INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE (Amersfoort, Netherlands) is accepting nominations for manufacturers, distributors and retailers who do an outstanding job of managing private labels and/or brands for its 2007 Global Pets Forum Award. Nominations may be sent to info@pets.nl. Winners will be selected by readers of Pets International and attendees of Global Pets Forum, to be held Jan. 18-19 in Copenhagen, Denmark. For more information, visit www.petsinfo.net/forum.html. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PETSMART INC. (Phoenix) reported net sales of $1 billion for the 2006 second quarter, up 11.2 percent from $899.1 million for the prior-year period. Comparable store sales rose 4.9 percent. Pet services sales were $98.1 million, up 28 percent from the prior-year period. [November 2006 PET AGE]

Beginning Nov. 1, PETSMART CHARITIES INC. (Phoenix) will offer two holiday-themed fund-raising items at all PetSmart stores. All proceeds from the sale of the $1 packages of wrapping paper and $10 Luv-A-Pet ornaments will benefit animal welfare agencies. [November 2006 PET AGE]

The PLANET DOG FOUNDATION (Portland, Maine) gave a $2,500 grant to the Maine Children’s Cancer Program to help fund the training, certification, food, grooming and veterinary care of a pet-therapy dog. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PRO CLEAR AQUATIC SYSTEMS INC. (Jacksonville, Fla.) acquired SEALIFE SYSTEMS (Jacksonville, Fla.), a maker of wet/dry filters, protein skimmers and custom acrylic aquariums. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Robert Exon, president of Sealife Systems, joined Pro Clear as director of operations. [November 2006 PET AGE]

PUPPÉ COUTURE (New York) debuted its early fall apparel line in a runway show aboard the first New York City Canine Cruise for small dogs and their owners. The three-hour tour of New York City Harbor included activities for dogs and an auction to raise funds for Barc, a no-kill animal shelter in the Tri-state area. [November 2006 PET AGE]

REEF CHECK FOUNDATION (Los Angeles) in September co-presented “Inhabitants,” an extravaganza of dance, music and multimedia art created to raise awareness of the crisis affecting ocean and coral reefs. [November 2006 PET AGE]

More than 1,200 people representing 625 pet stores up and down the Eastern Seaboard took advantage of big discounts and other sales opportunities during ROYAL PET SUPPLIES’ open house, held Sept. 9-10 at Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Fla. Royal, which operates warehouses in Brentwood, N.Y., and Pompano Beach, Fla., also gave away cash in a poker promotion and other prizes in random drawings. Royal’s next open house will be held Sept. 8-9, 2007, at the same venue. [November 2006 PET AGE]

SHURE PETS (Chicago), a direct seller of pet products and accessories, now offers Pets Best insurance through its 1,300-plus pet consultants across the nation. [November 2006 PET AGE]

SHURE PETS (Chicago) launched the Ulti-Mutt Invention contest to find the next revolutionary pet product. Entries, accepted through Feb. 28, 2007, at www.shurepets.com/invention, will be judged on innovation and the degree to which they make pets’ and owners’ lives easier, healthier and happier. The winning product will be sold exclusively under the Shure Pets brand for 24 months, and the inventor will receive royalties on sales. The winner will be announced on April 1, 2007. [November 2006 PET AGE]

UNITED KINGDOM—Duty of Care. To help pet owners meet new duty of care standards that the Animal Welfare Act will introduce next year, the British Veterinary Association’s Animal Welfare Foundation has produced a booklet entitled “What Makes My Pet Happy.” In addition to meeting pets’ basic needs such as food and water, pet owners will be required under the new law to meet requirements such as ensuring their pets have the ability to express normal behavior. [November 2006 PET AGE]

UNITED PET GROUP (Cincinnati) is distributing Pet4Pets charity collars by GENIA (Vertou, France) to raise money for the Animal Cancer Foundation. The company will donate a minimum of $2 per purchase of the orange silicone collars toward clinical studies of cures for pet cancer. [November 2006 PET AGE]

LABOGROUP HOLDING INC., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of VIRBAC S.A. (Carros, France), in August offered to buy all outstanding shares of common stock of VIRBAC CORP. (Fort Worth, Texas) at $5.25 per share in connection with a merger agreement among Virbac Corp., Virbac S.A., Interlab S.A.S., a wholly owned French subsidiary of Virbac S.A., and Labogroup. [November 2006 PET AGE]

WELLS PET FOODS CO. (Monmouth, Ill.) moved its factory operations to the former Western Stoneware warehouse in and its offices to Monmouth’s Business and Technology Center after a blaze destroyed the pet food manufacturer’s facilities in August, according to published news reports. The cause of the fire, which created an estimated $10 million in damage, was unknown at press time. [November 2006 PET AGE]