Start a Staff Meeting on a 'Pawsitive' Note

With introductions of new budgets, increased animal admissions due to inclement weather and a potential drop in adoptions due to post-holiday belt-tightening, staff meetings this time of year can be discouraging... if you let them be that way. This video -- of a mambo dancing Golden Retriever -- is sure to set a pawsitive mood at your next staff meeting. This dancing dog gives a whole new meaning to the term "human-animal bond." Go ahead! Kick off your next staff meeting with a mambo and turn some frowns upside down!

Pet Products Get High Tech Treatment

A report on CNN states that with enthusiasm for pets growing unabated, and technology digging ever deeper into our lives, the two seemingly unrelated worlds increasingly touch.

While spending on pet-care products has gone up 34 percent globally over the past five years, according to research firm Euromonitor International, there is little if any serious research on tech-related pet spending.

Where technology excels is in addressing the two big worries of pet ownership: fear and guilt. Most owners dread the day their pet gets lost. Enter GPS pet tracking, offered by companies like Zoombak, Garmin, and Positioning Animals Worldwide.

But for many pet owners, fear of the pet becoming lost is outweighed by guilt about not giving pets enough company and attention… and technology is coming to the rescue!

Products like the “Talk to Me Treat Ball,” the “Bowlingual Voice Communicator” and an iPhone application called “Pet Acoustics” are leading the charge.

Get the whole story on high tech gadgets for the pet industry from CNN.

Promoting Pet Adoptions in Your Community

Does it matter who adopts them.... or if they get adopted? Challenge: Your agency struggles to provide time, space and care for as many homeless pets as it can and competes for a limited number of potential adopters. Solution: Instead of competing, recognize the strengths of each organization in your community and work together. Remember, you are working on behalf of all animals in you community.... not just the ones in your care! You all work in the area of animal welfare... so why not work together!

• What parts of your mission do you have in common?
• What challenges do you all face?
• What programs do you duplicate?
• What resources can you share?

In 2010, make a point to think in terms of collaboration not isolation. Think "our animals" not "my animals." Adapted from "Bones of the Business" a regular feature in the PetSmart Charities quarterly newsletter. Used with permission from PetSmart.

Top 10 Pet Names for 2009

"Bella" Beats Out "Max" for Top Dog Name For six years in a row, Max ruled the top spot. But in an upset that is sure to have dog owners talking, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has declared Bella the most popular dog name of 2009. VPI crunched the numbers on its more than 475,000 insured pets to determine this year’s most common names, and Bella beat out Max by more than 400 dogs. Fans of Max, however, can rest assured that for cats, that name is still top dog – er, top cat. “I was shocked to see Max bumped from No. 1!” said Curtis Steinhoff, senior director of corporate communications for VPI. “Max has been the most popular dog name for so long, I didn’t think anything would take him down. I can only wonder if Max’s dethroning has something to do with Bella being the name of the heroine in a certain vampire book/film series that’s pretty popular these days.” Not all the pet names in VPI’s database are as trendy as Bella and Max. Thousands of VPI policyholders have bestowed names upon their animals not shared by any other pet on record. Check out some of the more “creative” monikers selected for VPI’s Top 10 Most Unusual Pet Names of 2009. TOP 10 DOG NAMES

1. Bella
2. Max
3. Bailey
4. Lucy
5. Molly
6. Buddy
7. Maggie
8. Daisy
9. Chloe
10. Sophie

TOP 10 CAT NAMES

1. Max
2. Chloe
3. Bella
4. Oliver
5. Tiger
6. Smokey
7. Tigger
8. Lucy
9. Shadow
10. Angel

'Failed' Service Dog Takes up Surfing

Ricochet is a Golden Retriever who is now better known as 'Rip Curl Ricki!"

She was born to lead a life of service.... but, despite receiving the best possible training from the Puppy Prodigies Neonatal & Early Learning Program in San Diego, California, her penchant for chasing birds resulted in elimination from the program.

Rather than focus on what this dog couldn't do.... her trainer decided to focus on the dog's strengths and turned disappointment into a new direction. Ricki is now a surfing dog who not only helps the disabled, she also helps raise money for charity!

If you need inspiration to help you set new directions for the New Year, this video of Ricki riding the waves in the California surf is sure to bring a smile to your face and tears to your eyes!

Setting Puppies & Kittens Up for Success

We all know that, without proper training, an adorable puppy can turn into less delightful adult dog - which helps explain why one in five puppies are abandoned before the age of two! New pet owners can feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of socializing, training, and caring for a puppy or kitten, and since more than one half of Canadian households (51 per cent) own a pet, a large part of the population faces these challenges every day. But new pet owners can feel more confident in their role thanks to the new free online resources, supposed by the good people at Purina Pet Care. Canadians can easily access pet-related information with the simple click of a mouse. For dogs: www.mypuppy.ca For cats: www.mykitten.ca They can even train their puppies by using the online interactive videos by award-winning dog trainer Kayl McCann. Kayl can speak with you about straightforward training techniques that highlight how easy it can be to train one's puppy or kitten (when you know what you're doing, of course).

Dogs Drive Car Buying Decisions

North Americans' insatiable appetite to shower their beloved pets with accessories at home is now transitioning into the automobile. LeaseTrader.com, the nation’s most popular online car lease swap marketplace, reports a 67 percent increase in the number of customers who shop for a vehicle with pet needs in mind – an increase from 24 percent three years earlier.

But pet lovers today need to satisfy their desire for pet friendly features along with economic realities. Increasingly, LeaseTrader.com customers are trading large SUV leases in favor of smaller, more budget- conscious vehicles still considered pet-friendly. Since the beginning of 2008, LeaseTrader.com has seen this trend double and expects to see continued growth in this area.

“Hatchbacks and station wagons are filling the needs of pet owners looking for a little extra sportiness and space to fit the family pet,” says Gina Spadafori, Executive Editor of petconnection.com and dogcars.com. “The ability of the car industry to identify the needs of this growing subculture shows a new-found commitment to innovation and customer demand.”

A heart-warming tale for a cold winter night

'Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher In the spring of 2005, author Ingrid King met Buckley. All it took for King, a long-time veterinary hospital manager, was one look at the small homeless cat, and she fell in love. Hard. And fast. Soon, her life was transformed. In King's warmhearted memoir, Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher, she shares the story of how -- rather unexpectedly -- one tortoiseshell cat touched her life forever. Buckley's presence in King's life leads the author to make major changes in her own life, inspired by the lessons this little cat taught through her joyful spirit and huge heart -- universal lessons that readers can apply to their own lives. But after only a few years, Buckley is diagnosed with advanced cardiac disease. In the following chapters of Buckley's Story, King tells of the sometimes heart-wrenching, sometimes joyous, final months of Buckley's life. The human-feline bond is an unbreakable one, and King retells the story with poetic grace. This book is a celebration of life and a reflection of the never-ending love that anyone who has ever loved and lost a pet can surely relate to.

"HAPPY" Act Would Reward Responsbile Pet Parents in the USA

Technically speaking, it is known in the United States as the "Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the Years" Act. The Street name for this proposed legislation is the "Happy Act"—a federal bill that would reward responsible pet parents by allowing them to keep more money in their pockets come tax time. We all want to give our animal companions the best care we possibly can, but it seems that pet care costs are always on the rise—and these days, it’s harder than ever to stretch the family budget. That’s why the ASPCA supports the HAPPY Act, which would amend U.S. tax code to allow qualifying pet care expenses, including veterinary care, to be tax-deductible. While there is no similar legislation proposed in Canada, we thought this was an notable development in the status of companion animals in our society. It is encouraging that they are rising about the status of "chattel" to valued members of our families! It is reassuring to see that the Companion Animal Industry's efforts to promote responsible pet ownership are making an impact. If you are a US Citizen, you can help support the HAPPY Act! Visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online for more information.

Dog Owners Speak Up!

New Stats Prove Dogs are Our "Best Friends" ST. LOUIS, Aug. 09 /PRNewswire/ -- Dogs have always been man's best friend. But, according to a new national survey of dog owners, our four-legged companions are playing an increasingly important role in many Americans' lives. According to the survey, conducted on behalf of Beneful(R) brand dog food dog owners said:

• spending time with their dog lifts their spirits (95%);
• their dog helps them enjoy life's simple pleasures (92%);
• they could not live without their dog on a daily basis (48%) - more than their morning cup of coffee (35%), television (35%), car (26%), cell phone/BlackBerry (23%) or even best friend (15%);
• their dog is an ideal travel companion (more than 60%), more so than their siblings, parents, co-workers and in-laws.

Many dog owners surveyed noted that it is the everyday activities in life that they enjoy doing with their dogs include:

• going for a walk or a run (59%);
• driving (44%);
• running errands (27%) and,
• taking their dog on vacation (22%).

What it is about dogs that makes life better:

• they are always happy to see me (80%);
• their unconditional love (75%);
• their reliability and always being there for me (60%);
• dogs make their life more fulfilling (91%);
• Over nine in ten dog owners say that they take comfort in coming home to their dog during these uncertain times.

Survey conducted June 1-3, 2009 in the Untied States by IPSOS. For further information: Jenn DeBarge Goonan, +1-617-939-8383, jgoonan@coneinc.com or Julie Kahn, +1-314-982-1036, julie.kahn@purina.nestle.com.

Top Ten "Pet Friendly" Colleges

New York, NY (Sept. 10, 2009) – As college students across the country stream back to school, Petside.com, a popular online destination for pet owners and pet enthusiasts, has released its list of the Top 10 Pet-Friendly Colleges. The list, which takes into consideration both the quantity and quality of pet-friendly housing as well as the types of pets allowed, is full of schools where Fido and Fluffy are assured a place on campus. Although no similar list of Canadian colleges is available, it is good to see that many learning institutions in the USA have publicly recognized the importance of the human-companion animal bond. Publishing this information makes it easier for independently living students to consider which learning institutions to attend. They can choose one that allows them to keep their much-loved animal companions, which lessens the number of companion animals "surrendered" to animal shelters. "At Petside, we know how much the companionship of a pet can benefit a college student, particularly in the form of stress-relief and as a remedy for homesickness," said Joshua Fried, Director, Petside.com. "We are pleased to know that so many of America's colleges are welcoming responsible students and their pets." Eckerd College in St. Petersburg,Florida, for example, is head of the class with four pet-friendly, air-conditioned dorm "clusters." Students are allowed to have cats and dogs (under 40 pounds), as well as snakes and fish. Stephens College (Columbia, Missouri) offers one dorm as the designated "pet dorm" which allows dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs. Washington & Jefferson College (Washington, Pennsylvania) allows students to bring their family pets along to school and live in the "Pet House" dorm. Cats and dogs less than 40 pounds, small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles and fish are allowed and other animals may be permitted on a case-by-case basis.