You now can network, watch informational videos and blog in a social networking site designed specifically for members of the American Pet Products Association (Greenwich, Conn.). Go to www.americanpetproducts.ning.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Andis Co. (Racine, Wis.) will add 50,000 square feet to its facility in Sturtevant, Wis., for more manufacturing and warehousing space. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of summer. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Vicki Lynne Morgan, guerrilla marketing coach and president of Animal Brands (Califon, N.J.), will host the webinar “Trade Shows for Buyers: Tap into Hidden Opportunities You Can’t Afford to Miss” two times on Tuesday, March 16. For information, visit www.eventbrite.com/org/369836862. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Auburn Leathercrafters (Auburn, N.Y.) is celebrating 60 years in the pet industry. [April 2010 PET AGE]

BMBPET, a division of Rose America Corp. (Wichita, Kan.), acquired Hyper-Products. The company, now Hyper Pet, has moved from Wayzata, Minn., to Wichita, Kan. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Bamboo, the pet care division of Munchkin Inc. (North Hills, Calif.), added Lindam (Harrogate, England), a company that develops nursery and safety products, to its portfolio. [April 2010 PET AGE]
 
Entrepreneur magazine (Irvine, Calif.) named Bark Busters USA (Englewood, Colo.) the No. 1 pet service franchise for 2009. The world’s largest dog training company—which started in Australia in 1989 and debuted in the United States in 2000—now has more than 250 offices in 40 states and more than 400 offices in 10 countries. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Bravo Raw Diet (Vernon, Conn.) hired Michelle Carter as a sales representative for southern California. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The Canadian Kennel Club (Etobicoke, Ontario) and PetLynx Corp. (Calgary, Alberta) are combining their pet recovery services to create HomeSafe RDOG, a network that will cover Canada. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Beth Collins was named 2009 Groomer of the Year by Cardinal Laboratories Inc. (Azusa, Calif.) during the annual Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs of the Year Awards, presented by Dogs In Review (Los Angeles) in conjunction with the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York. 
Collins, a National Certified Master Groomer, has been showing dogs since 1982. She breeds and shows Afghans under the registered kennel name Taza in Cloquet, Minn., but also has shown and groomed champion standard poodles and a best in specialty Lhasa Apso. In addition, Collins has won several grooming competitions.
At the same event, Victoria Stilwell, star of “It’s Me or the Dog” and author of a book by the same name, was named 2009 Trainer of the Year. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Central Garden & Pet (Walnut Creek, Calif.) said in February that it will issue $400 million in debt and use the proceeds to pay off outstanding debt. The company also reported net sales of $269 million in the first quarter of 2010, down 8 percent from $293 million in the year-earlier period. Net sales for the pet products segment were $182 million in the quarter, down 2 percent from $186 million in the year-earlier period. Sales of branded pet products were $146 million in the quarter, down approximately 1 percent from $148 million in the year-earlier quarter. Sales of other manufacturers’ pet products were $36 million, down 5 percent from $38 million last year. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Citizen Canine (Oakland, Calif.), a high-end dog hotel, recently attained Level II accreditation from the Pet Care Services Association (Colorado Springs, Colo.). To become accredited, a member must demonstrate compliance with more than 250 standards in 17 areas of pet care facility operations, management and customer service and successfully complete an on-site evaluation. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Cloud Star (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) promoted Kelly Rogers to western regional sales coordinator. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Dad’s Pet Care (Meadville, Pa.) acquired ARKAT Nutrition, now known as ARKAT Animal Nutrition L.L.C. (Dumas, Ark.). [April 2010 PET AGE]

Design LAB Inc. (Torrance, Calif.) appointed Phillip M. Cooper as vice president of pet sales. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Drs. Foster and Smith (Rhinelander, Wis.) launched a new retail site, www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

EzyDog (Sandpoint, Idaho) hired manufacturers’ rep company Blue Skies (Alexandria, Va.) to represent its products on the East Coast. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The fourth annual Fashion for Paws Runway Show to benefit the Washington Humane Society will be held Saturday, April 10, at the Italian Embassy in the U.S. capital. Proceeds will benefit animals at WHS plus educational, spay, neuter, sheltering and adoption programs.

Edward R. Howell was named chief executive officer of Fetch Enterprises Inc. (Portland, Maine). [April 2010 PET AGE]

Fish King Inc. (Chicago) signed Aqua Treasures Ltd. (Kelowna, British Columbia) as a distributor. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (Silver Spring, Md.) launched an animal health account on Twitter, www.twitter.com/FDAanimalhealth. [April 2010 PET AGE]

FURminator Inc. (Fenton, Mo.) hired Olivier Amice as its new president. Amice previously was president of Royal Canin USA Inc. (St. Charles, Mo.).
In addition, FURminator named David DuFault vice president of sales, Scott Loudenback as director of operations and Roger Yount as vice president of product development and branding. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Ghann’s Cricket Farm Inc. (Augusta, Ga.) was featured during an episode of “Dirty Jobs” on The Discovery Channel. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Gimborn Pet Specialties and Animal Health (Norcross, Ga.) hired Bruce J. Flantzer as senior vice president.  [April 2010 PET AGE]

GroomTeam USA Inc. (Beaumont, Calif.) is accepting applications for Lonnie Lange Memorial Scholarships through April 30, 2010. The scholarship fund, created exclusively for the children, stepchildren and grandchildren of active, professional groomers, offers two types of awards: three $1,000 awards for college education; and one full scholarship to the winner’s choice of grooming schools approved by GroomTeam USA.

Scholarship recipients are chosen with help from International Scholarship and Tuition Services Inc. (Nashville, Tenn.), an outside source used to ensure the selection process is fair and unbiased. For complete scholarship details, visit www.groomteamusa.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Halo Purely for Pets (Tampa, Fla.) was awarded the Seal of Excellence by the National Canine Cancer Foundation (Scottsdale, Ariz.). [April 2010 PET AGE]

Healthy Spot (Santa Monica, Calif.) opened a second flagship location in West Hollywood. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The Humane Society of the United States (Washington) launched a line of organic pet food called The Humane Choice. It will be sold in select locations by Petco (San Diego) and Whole Foods Markets (Austin, Texas). [April 2010 PET AGE]

INDIANA—Exotic Animal Permits. A bill that would require all persons who sell reptiles not native to Indiana to obtain a permit awaited its first hearing in the Senate Committee on Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters. Violators of Senate Bill 280 would be guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Intergroom 2010 will feature two special competitions: the return of Feline Fantasy, a cat grooming competition sponsored by Pet Fashion Week (New York); and the new Spirit of Color model dog competition, to be held in memory of Serafino Ripamonte, a grooming industry innovator who died in August.

Intergroom, set for April 16-18 at the Meadowland Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J., will also feature educational seminars, a pet tech certification program, and several competitions. All information about this year’s event is now available online at www.intergroom.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health (Boxmeer, Netherlands) partnered with the National Education for Assistance Dog Services (West Boylston, Mass.), a national nonprofit organization that trains dogs to serve deaf or physically disabled people. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Loving Pets (Cranbury, N.J.) launched a new Web site, www.lovingpetsproducts.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Mars Retail Group, a division of Mars Inc. (McLean, Va.), partnered with Olivine International Marketing Ltd. (Henderson, Nev.) to license the company’s pet care brands. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Merrick Pet Care (Amarillo, Texas) initiated a voluntary recall of Merrick Beef Filet Squares for dogs with a “Best If Used By” date of Nov. 19, 2011, because of a possible salmonella contamination. For information, visit www.merrickpetcare.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

MISSOURI—Dog Breeder Standards. A bill that would stipulate standards of care and limit a person from having more than 50 intact dogs for breeding purposes at any time had yet to be assigned to a committee. Violators would face misdemeanor charges. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Morris Animal Foundation (Englewood, Colo.) and P&G Pet Care (Mason, Ohio) honored actress Betty White for her commitment to the veterinary industry and to animal health and welfare research. She was honored at a ceremony held in conjunction with the Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (Washington) asked Elanco (Greenfield, Ind.) to modify or discontinue several advertising claims regarding its Comfortis Canine Flea Control product. Elanco released a statement saying it disagreed with NAD’s findings but would take the recommendations into consideration. For details, go to www.tinyurl.com/ykp8t9h. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Nature’s Variety (Lincoln, Neb.) initiated a voluntary recall of its Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet medallions, patties and chubs for dogs and cats with a “Best If Used By” date of Nov. 10, 2010, because of a possible salmonella contamination. For information, visit www.naturesvariety.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

NEW JERSEY—Pet Shop Licensing Fines. A bill that would increase penalties for pet shop owners found to be in violation of certain pet shop laws and regulations awaited its first committee hearing in the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. Penalties that now range from $5 to $50 would increase to $100 to $1,000 for each offense. [April 2010 PET AGE]

North American Pet Products (Corona, Calif.) acquired the assets of CASCO Group Inc. (Cerritos, Calif.), which will operate as a division of North American Pet Products. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Nurtured Pets, a division of Lauren International Co. (New Philadelphia, Ohio), added three international distributors: Alpha Paw Pte Ltd. (Singapore), Cichlid Wholesale Ltd. (Calgary, Alberta) and Triton Animal Supplies (Edmonton, Alberta). They also added Central Pet West (Santa Fe Springs, Calif.) and Independent Pet Supply (Snohomish, Wash.) as distributors in the United States. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The Pet Food Institute (Washington) and the National Grain and Feed Association (Washington) will host a new joint conference focusing on key business trends, food and feed safety developments, and operational challenges facing the animal feed and pet food industries. The Feed and Pet Food Joint Industries Conference, with a theme of, “Working in the Rapidly Changing Business, Operations and Regulatory Environment,” will be held Sept. 22-24 in Chicago. For information, visit www.jointindustriesconference.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Oragenics Inc. (Alachua, Fla.) named Wolverton Garden and Pet Supplies (Lansing, Mich.) as a regional distributor for Teddy’s Pride. [April 2010 PET AGE]

OurPet’s Co. (Fairport Harbor, Ohio) closed an $819,000 private placement of nonvoting preferred stock. The company issued approximately 117,000 shares of preferred stock at $7 per share that will pay a 6 percent annual cash dividend. The company also redesigned its logo and refocused its corporate message. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Palm Beach Puppies (Boca Raton, Fla.) opened an Orlando, Fla., store in a shopping center called The Marketplace at Dr. Phillips. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Paw Pets (St. Helena, Calif.) donated volunteer hours and more than 500 of its products to local animal shelters and rescues during 2009. The company is continuing its efforts to help homeless and abused animals in the North Bay. [April 2010 PET AGE]

PBI/Gordon Corp. (Kansas City, Mo.) acquired the Lambert Kay line of pet products from Church & Dwight Co. Inc. (Princeton, N.J.). Robert M. Nicastro, formerly brand manager for the Lambert Kay line at Church & Dwight, has joined PBI/Gordon as national account manager for the line. [April 2010 PET AGE]

As part of the “Herper’s Habitat Makeover”—a contest sponsored by Penn-Plax Inc. (Hauppauge, N.Y.), Mazuri by PMI Nutrition L.L.C. (Henderson, Colo.), Ghann’s Cricket Farm Inc. (Augusta, Ga.) and ReptilesTV.com (Boynton Beach, Fla.)—reptile owners are invited to submit videos of their pet’s current cage and make a case for why they need a reptile habitat makeover.

The grand prize winner will receive a new terrarium and accessories, plus a year’s supply of live and dry pet foods. A professional video of experts setting up the new habitat in the winner’s home will be shown online.

Second and third prizes will also be awarded.
Video entries should be submitted by April 1 to contest@reptilestv.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

PetFoodDirect.com (Montgomeryville, Pa.) revamped its Web site with the help of Commerce Generation (Burlington, Vt.). [April 2010 PET AGE]

PetLynx Corp. (Calgary, Alberta) hired Anne C. Taylor as a senior account executive. [April 2010 PET AGE]

PetSafe, a division of Radio Systems Corp. (Knoxville, Tenn.), is funding the chair in veterinary behavior at the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The position was formed to research animal behaviors that may jeopardize a pet remaining in a home environment in order to protect the bond between humans and companion animals. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Pet Valu Inc. (Markham, Ontario) is now stocking three Nina Ottosson games produced by The Company of Animals (Bristol, Conn.), while Petco (San Diego) is stocks the company’s Pet Corrector and several Halti products. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Pets at Home (Cheshire, England), the United Kingdom’s lead pet food and services retailer, was acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. (New York). [April 2010 PET AGE]

Members of PIJAC Canada (Ottawa) as well as their employees and immediate family members who are pursuing post-secondary studies are invited to apply for two PIJAC Canada Scholarships. Applications are due April 25, and scholarships will be awarded in June. Find out more at www.pijaccanada.com/en/education/scholarships/.[April 2010 PET AGE]

Siemer Enterprises Inc. (Teutopolis, Ill.) hired Kim McGownd as a key account specialist and also expanded its coverage to the Midwest. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Spectrum Brands (Atlanta) on Feb. 9 signed an agreement to add Russell Hobbs Inc. (Miramar, Fla.) to its portfolio. The all-stock transaction, expected to close this summer, will form a new global consumer products company with an estimated $3 billion in annual revenues. It also will bring the well-known LitterMaid brand under the same umbrella as Tetra, 8 in 1, Dingo and other leading pet brands. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Dr. Matthew Brooks of Town Center Animal Hospital (Las Vegas) partnered with comedian Sammy Shore to form The Funny Bone, an organization to help Las Vegas rescue dogs. Its first benefit, a comedy jam on Jan. 31, featured Shore, the founder of Los Angeles’s famed Comedy Store, plus Bobby Slayton, George Wallace, Pauley Shore, Lance Burton, Vinnie Favorito, Frankie Scinta, Jeff Hobson, Dean Napolitano, Manny Olivera, Pam Matteson, Kathleen Dunbar and Pete Barbutti. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Tetra’s 2010 Cash for College program and contest, open to all fourth and fifth grade students, will accept submissions through March 31. The contest, part of the Aquademics aquarium education program by Tetra, a division of United Pet Group Aquatics (Blacksburg, Va.), recognizes skill, creativity and originality. Ten students will win $1,000 U.S. Savings Bonds and their teachers will win five 10-gallon aquarium kits to use in their classrooms. Visit www.tetra-fish.com to learn more.

VetCentric Inc. (Glen Burnie, Md.) partnered with Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc., a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive Co. (New York), using VetCentric’s prescription management service and home delivery business model to help Hill’s expand its reach to veterinarians and pet owners. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Wag’N Enterprises L.L.C. (Herndon, Va.) hired Fetching Communications (Tampa, Fla.) as its agency of record. [April 2010 PET AGE]

Weider Pet Health redesigned its Web site at www.weiderpethealth.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]

WEST VIRGINIA—Commercial Breeding Restrictions. A bill that would set breeding practices and specify the methods by which a commercial breeder could dispose of dogs awaited a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee. Senate Bill 147 also would cap at 40 the number of unsterilized dogs over the age of 1 year that a commercial breeder could own at any one time. The measure defines a commercial breeder as “any person who maintains 20 or more unsterilized dogs over the age of 1 year and is engaged in the business of breeding animals for direct or indirect sale or for exchange in return for consideration.” [April 2010 PET AGE]

Woof Gang Bakery (Orlando, Fla.) signed franchise agreements to open approximately six new stores in central Florida by the end of 2012. [April 2010 PET AGE]

The World Pet Association (Monrovia, Calif.) will sponsor America’s Family Pet Expo April 16-18 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. The 21st annual expo will feature animal experts, pet adoptions, more than 1,000 performing pets and thousands of pet products. General admission is $12, but discounts are available for seniors and children. For information, visit www.petexpooc.com. [April 2010 PET AGE]