26 Bars & a Band (Phillips Ranch, Calif.) hired Amber Muranaka as director of public relations. [January 2009 PET AGE]

The American Pet Products Association (Greenwich, Conn.) named Sean Rowe, managing director of Veterinary Ventures INC. (Reno, Nev.), to its board of directors. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Aquascape Inc. (St. Charles, Ill.) named Blake Barry national sales manager. Barry has more than 15 years’ pet industry sales experience, and most recently was national sales manager for Prevue Pet Products (Chicago). [January 2009 PET AGE]

Ark Naturals (Naples, Fla.) hired Kate Colter as director of marketing. Her background includes work on the Academy Awards and the Emmy Awards. [January 2009 PET AGE]

BarkWear (Jacksonville, Fla.), in conjunction with nearby retailer Unleashed and
Freedom IV Enterprises, hosted its third annual Giving Tree to benefit animals in the care of local rescue groups. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Urine Off by Bio-Pro Research L.L.C. (Sarasota, Fla.) garnered audience approval during a segment on unusual pet products on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” See the clip at www.urineoff.com/Leno.html. [January 2009 PET AGE]

BOOMj.com (Henderson, Nev.), a social networking community for adults over 35, added Dr. Kim Bloomer, a naturopathic veterinarian and host of “Pet Talk-Naturally,” to its stable of experts and now features articles by syndicated columnist/radio host Steve Dale. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Camp Bow Wow (Boulder, Colo.) ranked No. 26 on Entrepreneur magazine’s list of 50 fastest-growing women-owned/led businesses in North America. Camp Bow Wow, founded by Heidi Flammang, chief executive officer, a leading franchisor of dog day care and boarding facilities, with 86 current locations and more than 115 camps under development in the United States and Canada. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Halloween costumes and international decorations—including nods to China and the German Alps—added flavor to the fall open house hosted by Central Pet (Mahwah, N.J.) in October. More than 300 dealers from Maine to Florida gathered to do business at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. The winner of the $2,700 progressive jackpot was Don Gortner of Aqua Hut Inc. (Coram, N.Y.). [January 2009 PET AGE]

Del Monte Foods/9Lives (San Francisco) received the President’s Award from American Humane (Denver) for its superior commitment to the well-being of animals. [January 2009 PET AGE]

DipidyDawg, a gourmet dog bakery and boutique, moved into a larger store in the Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Fla. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Direct Pet Health Holdings INC. (Dallas) began acquiring all rights to NapLap Pet Beds from Sarge & Co. INC. (Lakewood, Colo.) in October. The complete acquisition will include the Web site, print ads and other marketing material. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Amy Nichols, founder and chief operating officer of Dogtopia (Bethesda, Md.), was named one of 25 “Women Who Mean Business” by the Washington Business Journal. Nichols was recognized for turning her lifelong love of dogs into a growing national franchise of upscale dog day care, spa and boarding facilities. Nichols also raises money for military dogs overseas. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Fan-Tastic Vent Corp. (Imlay City, Mich.) added Karin Florida to its Elkhard, Ind. sales team. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Gourmetceuticals L.L.C. (Big Horn, Wyo.) and Curamedics (South Plainfield, N.J.) are collaborating to develop treats containing a specialized antioxidant and an immune booster for dogs and horses. The products are scheduled to launch nationally in 2009. [January 2009 PET AGE]

The Hartz Mountain Corp. (Secaucus, N.J.) on Oct. 21, 2008, voluntarily recalled one specific lot of chicken-basted rawhide chips because of possible salmonella contamination. The company said its normal testing did not indicate salmonella, but a sample test by another laboratory did. The product involved is 4,850, two-pound plastic bags of Hartz Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips, lot code JC23282. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Hills Pet Nutrition Inc. (Topeka, Kan.) celebrates Pet Transformation Month with Change a Pet’s Life Day on Jan. 24, when 300 to 500 shelters across the country will offer free pet adoptions. To find a participating shelter in your area, visit www.feedingisbelieving.com. [January 2009 PET AGE]

IMMI (Westfield, Ind.) hired Jon Page as sales manager for its outdoor division. Page will oversee retail sales of CargoBuckle, PetBuckle and BoatBuckle brand products in their respective markets. He has more than 15 years’ experience in the automotive aftermarket. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Just Dogs! Gourmet (Washington, Pa.) opened a retail outlet in Mount Kisco, N.Y.—its first in the Empire state. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Local dignitaries, including Florida State Rep. William Snyder, joined Mark D. Cifone and Peter Einhorn of Launder-Mutt (Jupiter, Fla.) recently as they cut the ribbon on their new state-of-the-art grooming van. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Massachusetts—Mandatory Spay/Neuter. Legislation that would have mandated sterilization of most dogs older than 12 months was set aside for further study after an October hearing in which the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington) testified in opposition. House Bill 5092 would have prohibited ownership of any dog more than 12 months of age that was not spayed or neutered, with limited exceptions. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Anna Sias, owner of Four Paws Pet Sitting Service (Nolensville, Tenn.), was elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (Mount Laurel, N.J.). [January 2009 PET AGE]

Skateboarding bulldog Tyson and fellow trickster Tillman will represent Natural Balance Pet Foods Inc. (Pacoima, Calif.) in the Tournament of Roses’ 120th Rose Parade, airing live on Jan. 1. The two will skateboard on a specially designed track built into the float. [January 2009 PET AGE]

New Mexico—Dog and Cat Sales. The Bernalillo County Board of County Commissioners in November proposed amendments to the county’s animal control ordinance to ban the sale of cats and dogs in pet shops, as well as the sale of cats and dogs that come from puppy or kitten mills, according to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington). A vote was imminent at press time. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Pennsylvania—Animal Cruelty.  A bill that would allow only veterinarians to debark a dog, dock its tail or cut off its dewclaw passed the House of Representatives and awaits a hearing in the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Rural Affairs. House Bill 2532 also would make it illegal for anyone other than a veterinarian to surgically birth a dog. [January 2009 PET AGE]

PETCO (San Diego) named Herman Nell chief information officer. Nell will manage information technology functions and activities. Before joining PETCO, Nell was executive vice president and CIO for School Specialty Inc. (Greenville, Wis.). [January 2009 PET AGE]

PetStyle (New York) launched an online social network for pet owners at www.petstyle.com. [January 2009 PET AGE]

PetWave.com (San Francisco) combines textbook veterinary information with the collective experiences of users to answer questions pertaining to pet health, plus message boards, user profiles and image galleries, and pet health management tools, like vet reminders and symptoms checkers. [January 2009 PET AGE]

The Planet Dog Foundation (Portland, Maine) awarded grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to: Dogs for Diabetics (Concord, Calif.); Guiding Eyes for the Blind, (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.); Texas Hearing and Service Dogs (Austin, Texas); Channel Thirteen/ WNET TV (New York); Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (Norfolk, Va.); and Freedom Service Dogs (Lakewood, Colo.). [January 2009 PET AGE]

PT Bofabs L.L.C. (Rockville, M.D.) now offers Chillybuddy Cooling Jackets at a special discount rate for search and rescue animals. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Scooter’s Friends INC. (Chicago) represented the canine side of haute couture for US Weekly Magazine at an event during Mercedes Benz New York Fashion week in September. [January 2009 PET AGE]

ShopByBreed (Exton, Pa.) was best pet supply store in MyFox Philly’s 2008 Hot List. [January 2009 PET AGE]

SynergyLabs (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) named Dan Cauffman vice president of sales. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the animal health care business, most recently with Virbac Corp. (Fort Worth). Joining the field management team are Robert Pisano, Eastern regional sales manager, and Byron Bates, Central regional sales manager. [January 2009 PET AGE]

The new online ordering system at www.T-Rexadvantage.com by T-Rex Products (Chula Vista, Calif.) is designed to help retailers save time, take advantage of money-saving special offers and still take delivery through their current distributors. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Triple Crown Academy (Hutto, Texas) launched two online education program: “Dog Training Fundamentals: An Enthusiast’s Guide” and “Pet Obedience Instructor: Theory and Application of Canine Behavior.” For details, visit www.dogschoolonline.com. [January 2009 PET AGE]

United States—Fish Regulations. The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended the comment period to Jan. 9, 2009, on proposed regulations to restrict the interstate movement and importation into the United States of live fish that are susceptible to viral hemorrhagic septicemia. The interim rule became effective Nov. 10, 2008. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Waggin’ Tailz, a Houston-based pet-sitting service, has sold its third franchise and is setting up shop in Weare, N.H. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Woof Dog Boutique (Los Angeles) was named best doggy fashion boutique for 2008 by L.A. Weekly. The boutique, which carries dog and cat products from around the world, also will be the location of the Style Television reality show “Peter Perfect,” scheduled to air in January 2009. [January 2009 PET AGE]

www.Buschpetproducts.com (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), a new online store owned by Stacy Busch, offers a variety of dog and cat products. It operates in conjunction with Busch Pet Products & Care and Busch’s Kennel. [January 2009 PET AGE]

www.naturalwoof.com (Norwalk, Conn.) launched as an online store offering natural and eco-friendly dog supplies. [January 2009 PET AGE]

Yoghund (Exeter, N.H.), which makes organic frozen yogurt for dogs, was a finalist in the Best New Product of the Year category, and founder Jody Rodgers was a finalist in the Best Entrepreneur–Non-Services Business category in the Fifth Annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business.  [January 2009 PET AGE]

Zeus and Co. (Chicago) signed American Distribution and Manufacturing Corp. (Cottage Grove, Minn.) and its sister company, American Logistics, to handle all of its warehousing and deliveries in Minnesota and surrounding Midwestern states. In exchange, Zeus will help American Logistics expand its Chicago metro service capabilities. [January 2009 PET AGE]

The winner of the grooming competition at ZooRussia 2009, to be held Feb. 19-22 in the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Center, Moscow, will receive a trip to the Oster International Invitational Tournament of Champions in 2010. Categories include professionals, debut and animal stylists. Judges include Umberto Lehmann of Italy and Denys Lorrain of France, the president and vice president of the European Grooming Association. For details, contact Zoorussia at info@zoorussia.ru. [January 2009 PET AGE]