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Advocating for Pet Owners’ Interest

Pet Age Staff//March 17, 2014//

Advocating for Pet Owners’ Interest

Pet Age Staff //March 17, 2014//

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The Pet Leadership Council recently met in Dallas with 32 industry leaders in attendance to discuss various issues facing the pet industry.

The Pet Leadership Council members represent manufacturers, distributors, retailers, veterinarians and breeders. Companies such as Nestle Purina PetCare Company and Central Pet and Garden were represented, as well as industry trade organizations such as American Pet Products Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Pet Industry Distributors Association, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and World Pet Association, among others.

“Pets are part of the fabric of American life, a force for good in American society, and a tradition older than America itself,” Bob Vetere, president and CEO of American Pet Products Association and founding member of the Pet Leadership Council, said. “Pet ownership makes people happier and healthier. And pet owners create a better life for the animals they love.

“The pet industry is overflowing with people who care deeply about pets and pet owners. But our industry historically has operated in a fragmented way, with each industry group representing narrower concerns. They deserve a unified voice. And they gain that unified voice with the Pet Leadership Council.”

Among the initiatives the Pet Leadership Council intends to address over time are: Advocating for the interests of pet owners and highlighting the virtues pet ownership brings to our society and our quality of life; articulating clear animal-breeding standards that protect breeded pets and help society to crack down on “puppy mills” and the bad actors that have given that term rise and, lastly, exploring opportunities to consolidate the industry’s myriad advocacy groups in a more concentrated and effective structure.