Animal Exchange, a 29-year-old pet store in Rockville, Md., received the Corporate Appreciation Award from the Rockville Senior Center for its Lend-A-Pet program. The program has allowed residents of the center to borrow pets from the store since 1983. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Bark Buckle UP (San Diego), a national pet safety program, and Volvo Cars North America (Rockleigh, N.J.) launched a Pet Safety Day campaign to teach owners about pet safety products and provide tips on traveling with pets at Volvo retailers across the United States and Canada. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The Groomers Club Web site, launched by Barkleigh Productions Inc. (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), offers discounts and specials on products from more than 110 companies as well as information about educational opportunities and trade shows to member groomers, boarding kennel operators and other pet-services professionals. For more information, visit www.groomersclub.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The China International Pet and Aquarium Show will take place Oct. 25-28 at the Guangzhau Baiyun International Convention Center in Guangzhou. It will be held in conjunction with the China Import and Export Fair, which is expected to draw more than 200,000 buyers from around the world. Organized by North Exhibition International Co. Ltd. (Beijing), the show will showcase a full range of pet supplies, including items in dog, cat, aquarium, bird, reptile and pond categories. For more information, visit www.cipas.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Up to 20,000 buyers from China and around the world will convene Nov. 6-9 for the 12th annual China International Pet Show at the Beijing Exhibition Center in Beijing. The 30,000-square-meter exhibit space was booked at press time, with 355 confirmed exhibitors and 77 on a waiting list, according to organizers China Great Wall Exhibition Co. and Nürnberg Global Fairs. For more information, visit www.cipscom.com and www.nuernbergglobalfairs.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

COLORADO—Aquatic Nuisance Species. Gov. Bill Ritter in June signed Senate Bill 226 into law, to prevent, detect and control nuisance aquatic species in Colorado waters. The law makes it illegal to introduce exotic or non-native aquatic wildlife or any plant species that poses a significant threat to the state’s aquatic resources or water infrastructure. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Del Monte Foods Co. (San Francisco) hired William D. Pearce as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, overseeing pet and consumer marketing as well as market research, package design, promotion and other marketing services. He has more than 20 years’ experience in consumer packaged foods, and most recently was chief marketing officer at Taco Bell. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Milk-Bone, a brand by Del Monte Pet Products (Pittsburgh), celebrated its 100th anniversary in May by unveiling a 480-square-foot doghouse made with more than 100,000 Milk-Bone dog biscuits in New York’s Times Square. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Ecological Laboratories Inc. (Malverne, N.Y.) won six Best On Long Island awards from the Long Island Advertising Club for displays and packaging for a new line of aquarium products as well as catalog design. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Comfort Zone With D.A.P. for Dogs, a product by Farnam Pet Products/Central Life Sciences (Phoenix), sponsored the 10th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day, held by Pet Sitters International (King, N.C.) on June 20. [August 2008 PET AGE]

GLEE Petindex will showcase a wide range of pet care and aquatics products from an international exhibitor base in conjunction with the GLEE garden and outdoor living exhibition, Sept. 21-23 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. Other highlights will include an area for new products from forward-thinking manufacturers. For more information, visit www.gleebirmingham.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Global Aquaria (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) offers more than 3,000 discounted aquarium products at its new online store, www.globalaquaria.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Groomers Helper (Margate, N.J.) signed The Animal Shack (Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand) as its exclusive distributor in New Zealand. [August 2008 PET AGE]

GroomTeam USA (Beaumont, Calif.) awarded $1,000 Lonnie Lange Memorial Scholarships to Allison Dale of Elk Grove Village, Ill., Taylor Nischan of Bolingbrook, Ill., and Katelyn Thornton of Richland Hills, Texas. All children of groomers, they will apply the money toward their college educations.
GroomTeam USA gave an additional Lonnie Lange Memorial Scholarship to Jessica Lynch of Webster, Texas, to fully fund her education at an approved grooming school.
Applications for 2009 scholarships are available at www.groomteamusa.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Healthy Spot, a retailer of organic, green and modern dog products, opened in Santa Monica, Calif. The store was co-founded by Mark Boonnark and Andrew Kim. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. (Topeka, Kan.) is offering Drinkwell pet fountains by Veterinary Ventures Inc. (Reno, Nev.) as raffle prizes online and at pet expos through February 2009 to help raise awareness about feline lower urinary tract disease. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Key ornamental fish companies from China and abroad will exhibit their wares at the 2008 International Ornamental Fish and Fishing Exhibition, Oct. 24-26 at the International Agricultural Exhibition Center in Shanghai. Organized by the Shanghai Municipal Government Fisheries Office and Shanghai Fisheries Trade Association, the exhibition is expected to draw more than 20,000 visitors from around the world, including more than 5,000 buyers of aquarium and sports fishing goods. For more information, visit www.shaquaria.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Approximately 200 members of the worldwide pet trade are expected to attend the second International Pet Conference, Nov. 13-14 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Organized by Dähne Verlag (Ettlingen, Germany), publisher of the Pet in Europe trade journal, the educational program will focus on the European pet market. Seminars and workshops will cover topics such as “Sustainability and Economic Benefit,” “Luxury Accessories: Class, Not Mass” and “Web 2.0 in the Pet Supplies Sector.” For more information, visit www.pet-global.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Jakks Pacific Inc. (Malibu, Calif.) will create a line of dog products co-branded by the American Kennel Club (New York) and Twentieth Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising for “Marley & Me,” an upcoming movie based on John Grogan’s book about the antics of his yellow Labrador retriever. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Kennelwood Pet Resorts (St. Louis) donated pet oxygen mask kits to fire stations in Creve Coeur, Frontenac, Ladue, Maryland Heights, Mehlville and St. Charles, Mo. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The Luxury Pet Pavilion Fall Show will take place Aug. 2-3 at the AmericasMart Convention Center in Atlanta. The event will feature a Go Green Pavilion, featuring eco-friendly pet products, and a Grooming Station, where shelter dogs will be groomed for adoption. For more information, call 866-441-9247 or visit www.luxurypetpavilion.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Matrix Partners (Chicago), a brand strategy and communications firm specializing in pet product advertising, publicity and promotions, hired Stephanie Krol as director of public relations. She has managed public relations, media relations and promotional events for a variety of clients, from national animal health product manufacturers to local pet boutiques. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Nature’s Variety (Lincoln, Neb.) launched a consumer awareness campaign that includes media efforts, retailer events, Web videos and retailer support materials to promote the Rotation Diet feeding philosophy. The Rotation Diet alternates a variety of proteins and forms of proteins to provide optimal nutrition and health benefits for pets. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in May determined that NestlÉ Purina PetCare Co. (St. Louis) provided reasonable support for its claims that Pet Promise foods for dogs and cats are made with “natural” and “pure” ingredients sourced from farms and ranches that use “eco-friendly” and “humane” business practices. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Nutri-Vet L.L.C. (Boise, Idaho) and Ceva Santé Animale S.A. (Libourne, France) in May jointly resolved a patent lawsuit allowing Nutri-Vet to introduce a new line of herbal-based pet-calming products. [August 2008 PET AGE]

OHIO—Pit Bull Ban. Recently introduced legislation seeks to ban ownership of any dog that “belongs to a breed that is commonly known as a pit bull dog.” House Bill 568 would require owners of these dogs to turn the animals over to dog wardens within 90 days of the bill’s enactment to be euthanized. [August 2008 PET AGE]

OmniPro Inc. (Madison, Miss.) signed Prism Sales (Tampa, Fla.) to distribute its holistic dog and cat foods in the United States and Canada. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Orrville Pet Products (Orrville, Ohio) launched a new Web site, www.orrvillepet.com, to showcase new and core products. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Pet Butler (Dallas), a pet waste removal service, ranked 11th on the Comerica Collin 60 list of fastest growing companies in Collin County, Texas. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The Pet Care Services Association (Colorado Springs, Colo.), formerly known as ABKA, upgraded its Web site with targeted content for members and nonmembers, online copies of association publications, and a Pet Service Locator searchable by city, state or ZIP code within a user-selected radius. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Pet Store Pro, an online employee training program for pet retailers by the Pet Industry Distributors Association (Bel Air, Md.), was named best education program by the 2008 Maryland Society of Association Executives. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Petclix (Los Angeles), a new mobile pet photography studio, offers the services of certified pet photographers to pet-related businesses across the country. For more information, call 66-PET-CLIX or visit www.petclix.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Carrie Buzbee and Lee Harrison opened a Petland store in Lutz, Fla.; Shelly Martin, in D’Iberville, Miss.; and Joe and Vickie Kler, in Wesley Chapel, Fla. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The first Petland store in China—a 3,854-square-foot store offering pets and supplies and featuring a complete grooming department—opened in Shanghai in April. Petland plans to open two more stores in China by the end of the year. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Pets Best Insurance (Boise, Idaho) and the Animal Behavior Network launched the Positive Pet Parenting Saves Lives public education campaign to help reduce behavior as a leading cause of pet euthanasia. For more information, visit www.positivepetparenting.org. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Planet Dog (Portland, Maine) partnered with The Humane Society of the United States (Washington) to launch the “rescue. raise. love. adopt.” national public service campaign. As part of the campaign, the manufacturer created a Kiss Me I’m Adopted Kit for people who adopt dogs or cats from animal shelters or rescue organizations. [August 2008 PET AGE]

PurinaCare Insurance Services Inc. (St. Louis), a wholly owned subsidiary of Nestlé Purina PetCare Co., now offers two pet health insurance policies for dog and cat owners. For more information, visit www.purinacare.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]

RHODE ISLAND—Outdoor Dogs. Recently introduced legislation would prohibit certain practices pertaining to the keeping of outdoor dogs. For example, under Senate Bill 2096, dog owners could not tether a dog with a choke-type collar or keep it tethered for more than 10 hours during a 24-hour period. The proposed bill specifically exempts pet shops, grooming facilities, training facilities, commercial boarding kennels and others. [August 2008 PET AGE]

South Carolina—Turtle Restrictions. A bill that would have made it illegal for a person to buy, sell, offer for sale or offer to buy certain species of turtles died in committee when the legislature adjourned for the 2007-2008 session. House Bill 4392 would have banned the commercial trade of the yellowbelly turtle (Trachemys scripta), Florida cooter (Pseudemys Floridian), river cooter (Pseudemys concinna), chicken turtle (Deirchelys reticularia), Eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta), spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera), Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) and common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentine). [August 2008 PET AGE]

TailsandCompany.com (Chicago), a new online pet boutique, offers upscale merchandise for dogs and cats. The e-store is supported by a branding partnership with iVillage, an online community site for women. [August 2008 PET AGE]

The World Wide Pet Industry Association (Monrovia, Calif.) donated $12,000 to the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (Washington) as part of its Membership Match program, in which WWPIA matches financial contributions to PIJAC by new members. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Zeus & Co. (Evanston, Ill.) opened the Zeus & Co. West distribution center, making its products available to retailers in Southern California. [August 2008 PET AGE]

For the fourth consecutive year, Zoo Med Laboratories Inc. (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) will be the title sponsor of the Turtle Survival Alliance Annual Symposium on Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles, Sept. 17-20 in Tucson, Ariz. For more information, visit www.turtlesurvival.org. [August 2008 PET AGE]

Zurich Financial Services Group (Schaumburg, Ill.), a property-casualty insurance company, launched a plan that combines liability coverage for directors and officers with employment practices liability coverage and risk management services for boarding kennels, dog day cares and grooming salons. For more information, call Adriana Baez at (215) 979-6641 or e-mail adriana.baez@zurichna.com. [August 2008 PET AGE]