Kendra Otto of the Barker Shop (LaGrange, Ill.) won Best Groomed Dog at the 35th Annual All American Grooming Show, held Aug. 16-19 at the Wyndham O’Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Ill. She received $2,000 from class sponsor Andis Co. (Racine, Wis.).
     Misty Fowler of the Paragon School of Pet Grooming (Jenison, Mich.) won Best All-Around Groomer, and received $1,500 from class sponsor Oklahoma Shear Co. Inc. (Moore, Okla.). [November 2007 PET AGE]

The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.) announced it has more than 1,000 members for the first time in its 49-year history. [November 2007 PET AGE]

To increase its involvement in pet industry-related government affairs, the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (Greenwich, Conn.) will contribute $250,000 per year to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington) to further PIJAC’s focus on regulatory issues and pet care and training guidelines, and offer approximately $75,000 worth of marketing, public relations, membership recruiting and other auxiliary services to PIJAC. APPMA also will provide an additional $100,000 to the law firm of McKenna Long and Aldridge to increase current efforts into live animal issues in support of PIJAC. [November 2007 PET AGE]

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (New York) is providing adjunct support for a master’s program in applied animal behavior launched this fall in the biology department at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). The two-year program is based on a curriculum by the Animal Behavior Society and will certify graduate students as associate applied animal behaviorists. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Apet Inc. moved to a larger facility at 195 Prairie Lake Road in Dundee, Ill. Phone 800-836-APET or (847) 586-5800. Fax (847) 586-5865. [November 2007 PET AGE]

A record-breaking 13,000 K-12 students and teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area attended free educational programs at Aquarium of the Bay (San Francisco) during the 2006-2007 academic year. Since opening in 1996, the aquarium has hosted free onsite educational events for more than 100,000 local schoolchildren and teachers. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Aquascape Inc. (St. Charles, Ill.) launched financing programs administered by GE Money for consumers purchasing from contractors, and by CNH Capital for contractors purchasing from authorized AquascapePro distributors. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Aspen Pet Products Inc. (Denver) donated more than 1,000 dog products to the Maine Animal Welfare Society (West Kennebunk) to help the organization care for more than 300 dogs seized in August from J’Aime Kennel (Buxton), the largest seizure of its kind in Maine’s history. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Aussie Pet Mobile Inc. (Dana Point, Calif.) ranked No. 1,739 on Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies for 2007. The company’s revenue grew 207.6 percent in the past three years. [November 2007 PET AGE]

BizBuySell.com (San Francisco) launched the Valuation Report to help buyers or sellers of a business accurately determine a fair asking price at no cost. [November 2007 PET AGE]

BusinessDictionary.com (Fairfax, Va.) launched as a free resource for expanding business vocabulary in 42 subject areas with more than 20,000 definitions and more than 150,000 links among related terms. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Cain and Able Collection (Austin, Texas) signed Snazzy Dog Pet Supply (Winnipeg, Manitoba) as the exclusive distributor of its pet spa products to retailers and groomers in Canada. [November 2007 PET AGE]

CALIFORNIA—Animal Care Standards in Pet Stores. Assembly Bill 1347, to establish criteria and procedures for the appropriate and humane treatment of pet store animals, passed the Senate in September and awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature. The legislation was developed with the input of an industry coalition after an activist bill last year was killed, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington). [November 2007 PET AGE]

Castor & Pollux Pet Works (Clackamas, Ore.), a maker of natural and organic pet food, ranked No. 771 on Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies for 2007. The company’s revenue surpassed $10 million for the 2007 fiscal year, up more than 100 percent versus 2006, and has doubled annually since the company was founded in 2000. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Central Garden & Pet Co. (Walnut Creek, Calif.) in September offered 10,000,000 shares of Class A common stock to the public after filing a new universal shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Chairman and founder William Brown purchased an additional 500,000 shares of the stock to strengthen the company’s balance sheet and better position it for future growth opportunities. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Crazy for Animals, a 1,000-square-foot pet boutique constructed only with environmentally friendly materials, opened in The Shops at Atlas Park at 8000 Cooper Ave. in New York. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Del Monte Pet Products (Pittsburgh) donated 40,000 pounds of Meow Mix Market Select cat food and treats to Pets and Animals in Distress (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for the nonprofit animal welfare organization’s Sixth Annual Feed-A-Pet/Hurricane Relief Food Drive. The company has donated more than 175,000 pounds of cat food to the food drive in the past four years. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Diamond Pet Foods awarded one free bag of Diamond Naturals pet food each month for a year to the winners of its Labor Dog Essay contest honoring working dogs. Winners include Bear, a Labrador retriever/German shepherd mix in Battle Ground, Wash.; Bernie, a pug in Long Beach, Calif.; Emma, a Newfoundland in Grand Haven, Mich.; Tess, a German shepherd in Orange Park, Fla.; and Tuffy, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel in Sudbury, Mass. [November 2007 PET AGE]

A Dog’s Life (Santa Monica, Calif.) launched My Dog’s Life organic treats with labels that consumers can customize to feature their dogs. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Fetch! Pet Care, a provider of professional pet-sitting and dog-walking services, opened new franchises in Agoura Hills and Chico, Calif., North Raleigh, N.C., Denton and Katy, Texas, and Virginia Beach, Va. The company now operates in 100 locations. [November 2007 PET AGE]  

Florida—Pet Warranty. Senate Bill 1658, to amend the pet warranty law, died in committee in the Senate. The failed bill would have increased the cap on reimbursements of veterinary fees and allowed buyers to receive a partial reimbursement of the purchase price if the seller failed to provide registration documents. [November 2007 PET AGE]

GPC Pet Products (Muscatine, Iowa) made World’s Best Cat Litter available online at Amazon.com to expand the product’s market reach. [November 2007 PET AGE]

The Honest Kitchen Inc. (San Diego), a maker of human-grade, organic and natural diets for dogs and cats, was named one of the 100 fastest growing private companies in San Diego by the San Diego Business Journal. The company has recorded average growth of 100 percent per year since its inception in 2002. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Public relations firm HRPR (Los Angeles) re-branded itself by changing its name to Alpha Dog Public Relations and shifting its focus to goods and services of the pet industry. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Instant Ocean (Blacksburg, Va.) resumed publication of SeaScope, a newsletter for marine hobbyists. Reintroduced with a new look, the free quarterly newsletter is available to consumers through aquarium dealers and online at www.instantocean.com. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Kennelwood Village (St. Louis) re-branded its franchise operation with a name change to Kennelwood Pet Resorts; a new slogan that states, “Because pets deserve vacations too”; and a new logo. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Lambriar Vet Supply (New York) ranked No. 939 on Inc. magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest growing private companies for 2007. [November 2007 PET AGE]

LittleGifts Inc. (New York) updated its Web site with a new look, revamped user interface and enhanced product information. [November 2007 PET AGE]

MidWest Homes for Pets (Muncie, Ind.) acquired Avian Adventures (Dallas), a top producer of bird cages in the United States. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Mobile BIS (Los Angeles), a developer of software for mobile devices, introduced The Pet Burial Solution for pet cemeteries. The software tracks cemetery operations to make maintenance, order processing and burial preparations more efficient. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Moochie & Co., a pet fashion and accessory retailer based in Columbus, Ohio, opened a branded store at The Pet Spot, a luxury pet resort in Norwood, Ohio, and at McClung’s Animal Hospital in Tiffin, Ohio. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Mulligan Stew Pet Food (Jackson, Wyo.) was named a finalist in Fortune Small Business Magazine’s fifth annual business plan contest for students and entrepreneurs seeking recognition and funding for a unique product. [November 2007 PET AGE]

New Mexico—Animal Welfare. Senate Bill 559, to establish a Commission on the Welfare of Animals, died in committee. The legislation would have established a state agency to coordinate and oversee federal programs relating to animal welfare, develop and implement programs to improve animal welfare and promote reduction of unwanted animals. [November 2007 PET AGE]

OLKAHOMA—Groomer Regulation. A bill to establish the Pet Groomer Regulation Task Force was sent to the Committee on Economic Development and Financial Services and held over to 2008. The task force created under House Concurrent Resolution 1005 would include a veterinarian, a groomer and a consumer of groomer services. The proposed bill requires a report offering recommendations for regulating groomers by the end of 2008. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Paws Inc. (Albany, Ind.) partnered with Play Visions (Woodinville, Wash.), a maker of children’s toys, to produce a line of cat and dog toys under the Garfield brand. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Pet Butler, a pet waste cleanup service based in Dallas, nominated Niki Tudge for the International Franchise Association’s Franchisee of the Year award for her role in organizing the company’s warehouse and product distribution operation. Tudge operates a Florida-based franchise of the company. [November 2007 PET AGE]       

The Pet Realty Network added a national directory of pet-related services to its online network of real estate agents and properties for people moving with pets. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Petco Animal Supplies Stores Inc. (San Diego) awarded the opportunity to be featured in an upcoming advertisement to Toula, a 3-year-old border collie owned by Christine Mahaney of Plainwell, Mich., for winning the Petco Stars competition. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Petland Inc. (Chillicothe, Ohio) launched the Petland’s Enhanced Protection Program, a lost pet recovery program that combines a national microchip database registry with an Amber Alert-type service. The national retail program works through a partnership between American Kennel Club Companion Animal Recovery (Raleigh, N.C.) and helpmefindMyPet (Livonia, Mich.). [November 2007 PET AGE]

PetSafe, a brand of pet training and lifestyle product from Radio Systems Corp. (Knoxville, Tenn.), partnered with Invisible Fence Co. Inc. (Garret, Ind.) to launch the ACO Swap Shop, an online equipment resource through which animal control officers can trade, sell or donate equipment to animal control organizations in need across the country. [November 2007 PET AGE]

PetSmart Inc. (Phoenix) reported net sales of $1.1 billion for the 2007 second quarter, compared with net sales of $1 billion for the year-earlier period. Comparable store sales grew 4 percent in the quarter, on top of 4.9 percent in the year-earlier period. Pet services sales were $117.2 million, up 19.5 percent from the year-earlier period. The company opened 40 new stores, including the acquisition of stores in Canada, and closed two locations in the quarter. [November 2007 PET AGE]

PetSmart Charities Inc. (Phoenix) will donate all proceeds from the sales of special holiday wrapping paper and ornaments sold at PetSmart stores across the country to help save the lives of homeless pets. The items will be available beginning Nov. 6. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Jack Drasner resigned from his position as senior vice president of sales for Chomp Inc. (Weymouth, Mass.) to re-launch PRISM (Tampa, Fla.), a manufacturers’ rep group and sales and marketing consulting company specializing in consumer packaged pet goods. The company was originally founded in 1998. [November 2007 PET AGE]

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (New York) in August recommended that Procter & Gamble Pet Care (Cincinnati) modify a “veterinarian recommended” claim in broadcast, print and Internet advertising of Iams pet food after Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. (Topeka, Kan.) challenged the claim, saying it communicates a false message that veterinarians recommend Iams specifically because it promotes superior health and longevity compared with competing brands. Procter & Gamble said it would consider modifying the claim in future advertising of the food. [November 2007 PET AGE] 

Iams, a pet food brand by Procter & Gamble Pet Care (Cincinnati) renewed an exclusive sponsorship of The Daily Cat and The Dog Daily award-winning Internet programs by Studio One Networks Inc. (New York). [November 2007 PET AGE]

Red Dog House, a dog products boutique in Chicago, is celebrating its first anniversary. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Rept-Care L.L.C. (Boynton Beach, Fla.) launched ReptilesTV.com, a Web-based TV network offering information about reptile care, health, behavior and products. [November 2007 PET AGE]

T-Rex Products (Chula Vista, Calif.) launched a Web site at www.t-rexproducts.com, providing comprehensive information about reptile and amphibians as well as the company’s products. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Underwater Galleries (Portland, Ore.), a designer and importer of ceramic décor for aquariums and terrariums, in August was offered for sale for less than $500,000. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Veterinary Ventures Inc. (Reno, Nev.) donated $3,000 in proceeds from the sale of a limited-edition pink Drinkwell Pet Fountain to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Combined with a donation made in January, the company has donated $7,000 to the foundation. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Virginia—Mandatory Spay/Neuter. A bill that would have extended an existing sterilization requirement for cats and dogs adopted out of shelters to pet stores and other sellers was tabled in committee and is dead for the year, according to PIJAC. House Bill 1853 would have required that every dog and cat sold be spayed or neutered, or that the buyer sign an agreement to have the animal sterilized, with certain exemptions. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Wag Pet Boutique (Raleigh, N.C.) received the top Standing Ovation MetroBravo! Award in the Best Pet Boutique/Salon category from Metro Magazine, a monthly publication circulated to 22 counties in eastern North Carolina. It was the company’s second consecutive win in this category. [November 2007 PET AGE]

Wet Noses Natural Dog treats by Wet Noses All Natural Dog Food & Treats (Monroe, Wash.) were certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture and now bear a USDA organic label. [November 2007 PET AGE]

To celebrate the launch of PetSource.org, a pet information resource for retailers, experts and consumers, the World Wide Pet Industry Association (Arcadia, Calif.) is holding a series of monthly contests offering pet products and services as grand prizes, plus $1,000 donations to winners’ local humane society or animal welfare organization. [November 2007 PET AGE]