We’re Here for You

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As one of the pet industry’s leading association, the American Pet Products Association works to grow and support the industry in many ways beyond the direct services it provides its members and retailers through the Global Pet Expo.

In fact, over just the past six years, APPA has supported the pet industry with an unprecedented $10 million. These contributions have driven and sustained significant programs designed to strengthen the industry and increase pet ownership.

In addition to providing financial assistance to organizations like the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council and the Pet Care Trust, APPA has consistently taken a leadership role in pioneering new initiatives. Over the last decade, APPA founded the national Pets Add Life campaign, helped form the Human Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation, and most recently, partnered with industry leaders to establish the Pet Leadership Council—all with the goal of growing and safeguarding the industry.

On behalf of myself and the board of directors, I’m proud to say that APPA’s resolve to support and strengthen the pet industry to the best of our ability has never been stronger. We remain committed to leading the way as we work cooperatively with other organizations to plan for the future and ensure the continued health and vitality of the pet products industry. Together we are strong.
Here are some of the organizations APPA supports:

Human Animal Bond Research Initiative: In 2010, APPA took the lead in uniting the industry to form a new organization dedicated to gathering, funding and sharing the scientific research that demonstrates the positive health impacts of animals on people. Since its inception, HABRI has served as a rallying point for a growing assembly of companies ranging from manufacturers, distributors and retailers to veterinarians and animal health organizations, all with the common goal of scientifically validating that pets are good for human health.

Pets Add Life: APPA’s Pets Add Life program started in 2005 as a public service announcement effort and has since grown into a highly impactful social media campaign garnering hundreds of thousands of followers. It has become one of the leading voices for promoting pet adoption and responsible pet ownership.  By utilizing the most popular social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, active and engaged PAL fans and followers are able to help spread our message to their millions of peers.

In an effort to encourage and increase pet ownership, PAL promotes the joys and benefits of pets through a video campaign that includes the wildly successful talking animal videos, which have now reached more than 75 million views. Most recently, PAL has focused its energy on reaching the newest generation of pet owners, Millennials, by expanding into growing platforms popular among this generation, like Vine, Instagram and BuzzFeed.

Pet Care Trust: APPA has long been a sponsor of the Pet Care Trust whose mission is to promote public understanding of the joys and benefits of pets through education, support and interaction, primarily through the Pets in the Classroom grant program.

To date, Pets in the Classroom has issued more than 56,600 grants to teachers, and nearly 2 million children have experienced the joys and benefits of pet care since the program’s inception.

With a goal of introducing 5 million children in 100,000 classrooms to pets and the benefits they provide, the Pet Care Trust is hoping to help teachers impact future generations of pet owners through its grant program.

Pet Leadership Council: The Pet Leadership Council was formed in 2013 with the mission to: promote and celebrate responsible pet ownership; protect the rights of pet owners; ensure a sustainable supply of pets; foster industry commitment to animal care and breeding standards; and support well founded and meaningful regulatory and legislative initiatives regarding household pets.

As a unifying, proactive voice for the industry, the PLC members represent manufacturers, distributors, retailers, veterinarians and breeders — all of whom passionately and enthusiastically serve the cause of pet ownership and seek to improve the quality of life for pets and owners alike.

By engaging the appropriate resources, the PLC responds to current issues like increasing the incidence of pet ownership and addressing nationwide pet sale bans, while also identifying and addressing future industry needs.

APPA is committed to continuing to support the organizations and individuals working to protect the industry through important legislation affecting live animals.

-Bob Vetere