Take Action for a Better Animal Cruelty Law

At PetLynx Corporation we like to share news and view relating to animal-related activities being undertaken by our community partners. Here's some valuable information from the good folks at the  Canadian Federation of Humane Societies (CFHS).

CFHS has launched this year’s version of their annual Stop Animal Abuse campaign. Please visit the newly updated website to:

• Learn more about the changes that are needed to Canada’s animal cruelty law;
• Order a decal to display in your window; and
• Send a message to the Justice Minister using their online form letter.

Take action today at http://stopanimalabuse.ca 

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Bones of the Business: Tips for Working Smarter

A recent survey conducted in the United States by PetSmart Charities provided a wealth of useful information relating to why people do -- and do not -- adopt pets.

When it comes to pet adoptions, "Think positive!"

Prospective adopters are put off by negative messages about euthanasia. Instead of focusing on how many pets are euthanized because they don't have homes, focus on how adoption saves lives.

Understand what adopters want and tell them where to find it.

As animal welfare advocates, we love and value mixed breed dogs and cats. Recognize, however, that not everyone shares this passion for the "un-pedigreed." Many people want a specific breed of dog or cat.

• Help these potential adopters find the purebred (or close to it) in your facility
• Direct them to a breed rescue agency in your community
• Don't be disheartened that they don't want a mixed breed dog or cat. Thank them for visiting your facility and considering adoption.

"We hope animal welfare professionals will use these findings to create effective and motivating messages about pet adoptions programs," said Susana Della Maddalena, executive Director of PetSmart Charities Inc. "Having access to this information provides all of us with excellent insight into what people think and, most importantly, the type of information we can share that not only gets [the public's] attention but also inspires them to act."

Want to know more?

• Get the full details on PetSmart's research.
• View the latest issue of PetSmart Charities Quarterly newsletter.


•  Learn more with PetSmart's free webinars.

Used with permission from PetSmart Charities, Inc.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Six Packs/Nine Lives 2012 Calendar Campaign

In 2010 the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies turns the focus on homing animals in our communities.

We all know that community collaboration, creativity and commitment are all needed to increase adoptions from animal shelters world wide... and this week we applaud the efforts of Found Animals Foundation in California for taking a truly unique approach to creating awareness, boosting animal adoptions and saving lives of shelter cats nationwide.

Found Animals, in cooperation with award winning celebrity/fashion photographer Adam Bouska and Brown Trout Publishers will hold an open casting call on Saturday, June 5th, 2010 to find 12 handsome men and their pet cats for a global companion cat campaign and 2012 calendar entitled “6 Packs/9 Lives.” 

The open auditions will be held on Saturday, June 5th in Downey, California at the South East Area Animal Control Authority, which is home to the Found Animals kitty adoption annex, “The ModPawd.” The auditions are open to all men who have a pet cat as well as what it takes to appear in the calendar.  All contestants must be prepared to prove that their cuddly kitty truly belongs to them. The casting will feature a panel of celebrity judges to choose the winners. Each of the 36 male finalists, who will be selected earlier that day, will walk a catwalk and answer questions for the judges in the afternoon. The judges will rate each contestant, scores will be tallied and winners will be announced after all finalists have appeared.
 
All proceeds from the calendar will be used to improve the lives of shelter animals and support various initiatives including spay and neuter services, microchip programs and adoption of shelter animals and homeless cats and dogs globally.

To learn more about the “6 Packs/9 Lives” Calendar Campaign or Found Animals, please contact Michael Gilman at (310) 574-5792 or e-mail michael@foundanimals.org.
 
Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Survey Says.... Petsecure is #1

A recent independent survey* of veterinarians across Canada revealed that Petsecure Pet Health Insurance is the number one recommended brand of pet insurance with 8 out of 10 veterinarians recommending Petsecure pet insurance to their clients.

"It is rewarding to be recognized by the veterinary community," says Randy Valpy, President & CEO of Petsecure. "We continue to invest our time and financial resources in the veterinary community and we are pleased to see that this investment is being recognized and that veterinarians trust and value our pet insurance product enough to not only recommend it to their clients, but to recommend us more than any other brand of pet insurance."

"We were also thrilled to hear the results of this survey," adds Larry Evans, President & CEO of PetLynx Corporation. "We are proud that Petsecure is one of our valued community partners and look forward to continuing to work in collaboration with them in our on-going efforts to provide lifetime protection for pets... and peace of mind for pet families."

Petsecure also:

• Is a corporate partner with the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA)
• Belongs to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Business Management Program
• Has the American Animal Hospital Association Seal of Acceptance (AAHA)
  

Along with their Chief Veterinary Officer, Petsecure has a team of Territory Managers who work with veterinary clinics across the country educating pet owners and practice staff on the importance of pet insurance.

Not only is Petsecure the number one recommended brand of pet insurance by veterinarians, it's also currently the top ranked brand by Canadian pet insurance policyholders according to customer ratings on www.petinsurancereview.com. This independent third party website allows pet owners with insurance to rate their provider and offer advice to others looking to buy pet insurance. "Knowing that we have the support of both veterinarians and pet parents shows us that we are doing something right," says Valpy.

As the oldest and largest pet insurance company in Canada, Petsecure will continue to work with the veterinary community to provide the best and most innovative pet insurance coverage in the country.

*Survey conducted by by GfK Kynetec, a leading market research company.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Regional Summits a Resounding Success

The 2010 Regional Summits for Urban Animal Strategies were successfully delivered in four locations across Canada during the week of April 19. And, according to delegates who attended the Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax or Toronto events, the Summits provided education, inspiration and excellent value.

When asked to rate The Regional Summits on a scale of 1 - 9, with six-to-nine being "agree" to "strongly agree", 100% of respondents gave it top ranking for inspiration.

When asked if they had "gained at least one new idea to take back to their workplace," 92% ranked it 6 and above.

95% of delegates felt the mid-April scheduling of the event was desirable and 74% said they would attend next year.

In the comments section of the delegate survey, one satisfied attendee wrote: "It was an honour to be in a room and hear these speakers that are so like-minded. They have truly inspired me and given me much-needed encouragement to carry on the work that our Foundation does in our community."

Another delegate summed it up by saying: "[The Summit] was extremely well-organized and had great presenters with a great sense of humor. It made it fun to be there."

Want to learn more about how you can connect with other thought leaders in the companion animal industry? Check out the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies to be held at Lake Louise, Alberta, 13 - 16 October 2010.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Ten Ways to Increase Blog Readership

More blog traffic means more eyeballs. More eyeballs means more opportunity to promote your message of responsible pet ownership, funding requests and more. To help you make the most of your website and/or blog, the good folks at BlogPaws shared this important information with us:

10 Ways to Get Qualified "Eyeballs" to your website or blog

ONE: Write something relevant and focused. Don't ramble.

TWO: Use keywords.

 

THREE: Use bolded text to tell both search engines and readers that this content is important.

FOUR: Create an editorial calendar for your site or blog. On a blog, use your connections and your industry readings to create content that will educate, inform, or entertain your readers. On a website, pull in RSS feeds of relevant content that updates daily. Add editorial comments to keep readers engaged.

FIVE: Link, link, link. First - link out to good content. Second, be proactive and ask industry partners to link back to you.

SIX: Use Twitter and Facebook proactively. Be sure to keep your readers in mind when you RT on Twitter or share content on your Facebook page.

SEVEN: Use humor. It doesn't matter what you do or what you sell - humor always brightens the day

EIGHT: Interview a colleague, business partner or author - someone with insight into your business. Ask them to "tweet" about the interview and thank you on their blog. Paying it forward.

NINE: Ask questions. Ask your readers about their lives, their work, their challenges. Offer to answer questions once a week...if necessary, create the first few questions yourself.

TEN: Think about tomorrow. Think about the future. Don't forget those folks who are up and coming - today's kids. They have cash. They have interest. They are net-savvy. Create content that may appeal to them - without marketing to them. For information on how to be kid-friendly, check out the Walt Disney site's privacy statement.

Check out the other Blogs hosted by PetLynx:

HomeSafe:  Good news from people who help lost pets get HomeSafe!

The Summit  for Urban Animal Strategies: Promoting community collaboration for industry thought leaders.

InfoStream: Information for companion animal industry stakeholders

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Regional Summit Provides Platform to Share Statistics

The Regional Summits for Urban Animal Strategies, held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto and Halifax the week of 19 April 2010 provided Larry Evans, President and CEO of PetLynx Corporation, with an opportunity to share highlights of the 2009 Urban Animal Survey.

The survey --  Urban Cats - Our Biggest Opportunity -- was conducted in the fall of 2009. This in-depth research proved to be extremely insightful for manufacturers of pet food and animal health products, veterinary associations, shelters, animal control agencies and retailers of pet care products. This research provides a comprehensive measurement of pet owner attitudes and the behavior exhibited towards their animal companions.

Although presenting statistical data can be a challenge, Evans did not disappoint! Delegates commented that the presentation was "Entertaining, interesting and enjoyable."

Another delegate remarked: "Given the huge amount of information in the survey, it was valuable to hear the conclusions that followed."

A total of 82% of delegates felt the presentation conveyed the information "in a matter I could relate to" and 74% felt the "information was relevant to me."

WHY CONDUCT AN NORTH AMERICAN URBAN ANIMAL SURVEY? 

At the first Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in 2006, delegates clearly indicated that they required clarity of thought on how to manage urban animals. A lack of reliable statistics and information on constituent’s views hampers municipal leaders and legislators in their efforts to develop urban animal strategies and thus create and sustain a healthy community for pets and people

Want to learn more about how you can connect with other thought leaders in the companion animal industry? Check out the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies to be held at Lake Louise, Alberta, 13 - 16 October 2010.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

PetLynx Registrations Increase by 63%

In April 2010 PetLynx registered 8253 entities, of which 4105 were pets and 4148 were associates. This represents a 63% increase over April 2009. This increase was due in part to the CKC registrations which began to come into the PetLynx production system in April.

About PetLynx:

PetLynx is the only provider of Automated Recovery Systems for municipalities, community service providers and government agencies in the world. PetLynx, provides lifetime protection for pets and peace of mind for pet families for just pennies a day.

Hundreds of times a day, the PetLynx AutoMatch™ search engine automatically finds matches for the lost and found pets admitted to shelters, clinics, emergency hospitals, pounds, the general public and pet families. PetLynx is the fastest growing provider of recovery services in North America. PetLynx Corporation is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

CNN.com Living is Looking for Pampered Pet Photos

Each week CNN.com Living invites people to share images on one of three topics - design, fashion and pets. This week, it's all about pets that live pampered lives.

Do you know any pet owners who care for their furry ones like they're members of the family? Like the two lazy loafers pictured here, who live with one of our PetLynx team members?

CNN.com Living is looking for over-the-top ways people pamper their pets -- from matching person-pet outfits to elaborate birthday parties. Show them your fancy carriers, pet jewelry, intricate pet furniture and homemade pet meals or treats. They are looking for images beyond dressed-up pets  that celebrate the human-animal bond.

Do you have some photos you wold like to share?

Click here for more information.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor

Dog Park Dangers:

Pet Parents Warned of Hidden Health Risks

The dog days of summer are quickly approaching, and with the warm weather comes an increase in outdoor pet activities, including dog park visits. To help protect the health and well-being of dogs across the country, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) is educating pet parents of the hidden dangers of dog parks.

“Pet parents are drawn to the wonderful social and exercise benefits of dog parks, but few are aware that dog parks can impose health risks for their pet,” explained Monica Leighton, President of the NAPPS. “At the core of NAPPS’ mission is a commitment to the welfare of animals. We urge pet parents to fully investigate the hidden dangers of dog parks before visiting one to protect their pet.”

Should a pet parent choose to visit a dog park, NAPPS has prepared the following tips to help make the visit both fun and safe:

 

•    Bring a container of water to the park for your dog. The provided water stations are often used by raccoons or other wildlife during the night, and can spread dangerous infections, such as leptospirosis, a potentially fatal bacterial disease.

 

•    Wipe your dog’s paws after leaving the dog park. The park’s soil can be a source of parasites and diseases and should be cleaned from the dog’s paws immediately.

 

•    Make sure your dog is up-to-date on vaccinations prior to visiting the dog park. Through playful activity, pets can be exposed to other dogs that have not received proper vaccinations.

 

PetLynx also recommends that all dogs visiting an off-leash park wear a buckle collar with current, traceable identification -- such as a PetLynx tag and dog licence.

 

Pet Parents are further advised to be vigilant about keeping identification records up-to-date with current contact information. This helps to ensure that lost dogs can quickly be reunited with their worried owners.

Posted by Terri Perrin, Online Communications Editor