Pooper Scoopers Planning a To-Doo!

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Jan. 3, 2008 -- Pooper scoopers will be scooping up their luggage instead of doggy doo. The 5th annual meeting of the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws) will be held January 25-27, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. aPaws is inviting professional pooper scoopers from across the country to come to the sessions where they can learn different aspects of the pooper scooper business and gain professional support. Among the activities planned is the Turd Herding Contest where pooper scoopers face off to see who the fastest scooper in the country is. An activity with a light-hearted name has a serious purpose as professional pooper scoopers monitor the health of the animals for whom they scoop by observing their poop. The convention always wraps up with a charity auction to benefit a dog-related organization. This year's auction is to help raise money to purchase pet oxygen masks to help Firefighters and EMS Personnel. Some departments rely solely on donations, because the funds are just not available.

Pet owners across the country have a responsibility to their pets and to their families to prevent disease that pet waste can transmit. Many localities have ordinances requiring pet owners to scoop the pet's yard, in addition to scooping public areas when the pet is out of the yard. The American Pet Association estimates that there are more than 71 million pet dogs in the United States, producing over 4.4 billion pounds of waste every year, which is enough to cover 900 football fields with 12 inches of dog waste. Talk about deep doo doo!

Professional poop scooping is a growing industry, and the Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists is a professional trade organization that provides listings of professional pooper scoopers in the United States and Canada in the Find-A-Scooper National Directory on its Website, http://www.apaws.org. aPaws members agree to follow a Code of Ethics that include to not mistreat animals; report any mistreatment of animals that they observe; disinfect all tools after every yard to protect the health of the animals they serve; and carry liability insurance.

Pet Owner Education Software for Veterinarians

Company Releases Powerful, New Pet Owner Education Software for Veterinarians

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 3, 2008 -- Pet owners bring their beloved dogs and cats to veterinarians everyday for routine care or more advanced procedures. The veterinary market is growing increasingly competitive and pet owners are spending more and more money each year on their furry family members. Veterinarians are always looking for new ways to provide the highest level of care and education to their clients and patients. We expect concise information when we visit our medical practitioner, so why would pet owners expect any less when caring for their dogs and cats?

Odyssey Veterinary Software (OVS) is pleased to announce the release of DIA, a revolutionary pet owner communication tool. The software allows veterinarians to give quick, concise clinical overviews to pet owners on hundreds of conditions using over 1500 3D Animations, Surgical Animations, Virtual Anatomy illustrations, an interactive dog and cat, and other materials combined. Veterinarians can access content through a live search platform and pull up both normal anatomical examples and examples of illnesses. Whether they want to educate a client on the importance of pet dental health, parasite prevention or illustrate to a client how a cataract removal is performed, DIA has it all. When finished, clients go home with an educational print-out or have the material e-mailed to them.

The DIA application uses Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), a new, cutting-edge Microsoft programming technology. This platform, combined with incredibly lifelike anatomical graphics, gives veterinarians a simple tool to validate their findings and gives pet owners a whole new perspective on their dog or cat's physical health. The system, which was released January 1, 2008, is less than two-thousand dollars and includes contributions from over fifty veterinarians and board certified specialists. OVS was formed by Matt Russell, Christian Graus and Dr. Victor Adoue, who have over 50 years experience in the animal health field and computer programming combined. For more information, please contact Matt Russell at 888-826-0935 or visit http://www.odysseyvet.com.

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Read more about it at http://www.medianowonline.com/11-11-petnews

'Thank Your Vet for a Healthy Pet'

DENVER, Oct. 29 - Every day, veterinarians provide our pets with the special, personalized care they need to stay healthy, happy and living longer. Through the nationwide "Thank Your Vet for a Healthy Pet" essay contest, more than 1,000 animal lovers expressed their appreciation for veterinarians who show their commitment to animals every day. New York was in the top 10 states with 36 veterinarians nominated. To see a full list of nominees, visit www.morrisanimalfoundation.org


The contest is sponsored by Morris Animal Foundation, Merial Limited and BowTie, Inc. (publisher of Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy and Veterinary Practice News magazines). The national and regional winners will be posted at http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/ on Nov. 6, 2007, and highlighted in the December issues of Dog Fancy, Cat Fancy, Veterinary Practice News and also on DogChannel.com and CatChannel.com. Winners also will be honored at the February 2008 Western Veterinary Conference in Las Vegas.


About Merial: Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs approximately 5,000 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide. Its 2006 sales were nearly $2.2 billion. Merial Limited is a joint venture between Merck & Co., Inc. and sanofi-aventis. For more information, please see http://www.merial.com/.


About Morris Animal Foundation: Morris Animal Foundation, established in 1948, is dedicated to funding research that protects, treats and cures companion animals and wildlife. MAF has been at the forefront of funding breakthrough research studies benefiting animals in some 100 countries, spanning all seven continents on earth. MAF has its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The Foundation has funded nearly 1,400 humane animal health studies with funds totaling more than $51 million. One hundred percent of annual, unrestricted contributions support animal health studies, not administration or the cost of fund raising. For more information, call (800) 243-2345, or visit http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/.


About BowTie, Inc.: BowTie, Inc. is the leader in special interest pet magazines, trade magazines, books and websites dedicated to pet-loving consumers, pet-supply retailers, veterinarians, breeders, and pet professionals worldwide. Divisions of BowTie, Inc. include BowTie Magazines, BowTie Press, BowTie News, Thoroughbred Times Company, Global Distribution Services, and AnimalNetwork.com.

'Operation Stopgap' to Aid Southern California Dog Owners Affected by Wildfires

WILMINGTON, Del., October 25, 2007- Flexpetz, the company behind the innovative dog share membership program, has launched Operation StopGap to help Southern California dog owners who may have been affected by the recent wildfires. Concerned that many dog owners may have to seek long-term alternative accommodation that may not be dog-friendly, the company's CEO and founder, Marlena Cervantes, is worried that the only option open to dog owners may be the local animal shelters. Given that these shelters are overwhelmed, Cervantes concedes that surrendering one's dog almost amounts to a death sentence for these animals.

A San Diego native, Cervantes wanted to do something practical for her community during this difficult time, and came up with Operation StopGap as a way to prevent at least some dogs from even reaching a shelter. Says Cervantes: "I kept hearing people on the news describing how they had to flee their homes with just a few possessions and their dogs, but then finding themselves displaced into temporary situations that are either not dog-friendly or a practical dog environment. I could immediately foresee that much to the distress of the owners, many of them will simply have no choice but to surrender their loving, family dog to overflowing shelters where they are at high risk of being put down."

Continues Cervantes: "I realized that Flexpetz could offer a unique long term solution to dog owners, albeit only a limited number, given the established dog care infrastructure we have in place. It might take a long time for the dog's owners to settle in to a living situation where they can have their dog back full time, and no one wants to see their family pet in a kennel for months on end. So in the meantime, FLEXPETZ is offering to take care of as many dogs as we can and provide a caring and loving environment supported by our members, and at no cost to the dog owners." (PRN)

FLEXPETZ has set up a toll-free number at 866 603-5046 for anyone to contact the company to discuss their situation and how Flexpetz can help or via email at stopgap@flexpetz.com. More information on Operation StopGap can also be found on the company's website at http://www.flexpetz.com

ALLERCA Cats Bring 'Sneeze Free' Companionship to Allergy and Asthma Sufferers

Since delivering the first hypoallergenic kittens to customers in 2006, ALLERCA's hypoallergenic cats have established a unique place in the pet world.


WILMINGTON, Calif., Oct. 24, 2007 - ALLERCA, the company that developed the first scientifically tested hypoallergenic cat, is celebrating the one year anniversary of the first kitten deliveries to eager customers. Since then, the company has delivered dozens of the ALLERCA 'sneeze-free' kittens that for the first time have allowed severely allergic and asthmatic cat lovers to enjoy the companionship of a furry friend. For Jill Skibba of Los Angeles, an ALLERCA cat was her only option to own anything but a pet fish: "I had been looking for a pet for over a year that wouldn't make my eyes swell, my skin itch and make me sneeze endlessly. I was about to give up having tried just about every breed when I heard of ALLERCA. I now have Sela and couldn't be happier. It's a miracle every time she jumps up on my lap and I am totally fine. No sneezing, not itching! She is loving and just a joy to have in my life!"

Judy Smith of Connecticut was one of the first allergic cat lovers to sign up with ALLERCA, placing her order back as far as 2004. As a cat owning teenager, she found her allergies getting progressively worse as she moved into adulthood. "When near a cat, I usually begin having symptoms within the first 15 minutes; runny nose, sneezing, coughing, trouble breathing, and itchy watery eyes. I could usually tolerate it for a few hours and then I have to leave. It usually takes another hour or more for me to return to normal. I'd take multiple daily allergy medications, which helped, but only enough so I could suffer through these visits for a few hours." Since taking delivery of her ALLERCA hypoallergenic cat, Judy says, "He's just a great cat who doesn't cause me allergies. I am so very delighted to finally be able to live with a cat again."

For Dr. Erik Viiree from San Diego, an ALLERCA customer, the ALLERCA cat was the only option. "This summer we were given the pleasure of receiving Jet, our kitten from ALLERCA. Our home has long been devoid of pets because of my allergies, and although my family was desperate to get a cat, I was trepidatious about as I didn't want a return of my allergy symptoms. For the last number of years, I've been free of allergies and definitely didn't want them back. When I heard about ALLERCA, I immediately signed up for a kitten. I was nervous when Jet arrived, but I haven't had a problem and Jet is now a permanent part of our family."

Simon Brodie, the founder of ALLERCA and inventor of the ALLERCA GD hypoallergenic cat, says having hypoallergenic kittens in homes of allergic individuals is the fulfillment of a long entrepreneurial and technological journey. He first became interested in emerging genetic technologies after the first cat was cloned back in the late 90's, and began exploring how new technology could be introduced to the pet industry. Brodie evaluated a number of projects before deciding on the development of a hypoallergenic cat. "For the millions of feline allergy sufferers, the idea of a hypoallergenic cat had always been a dream, which in turn meant there was a commercial demand." So in 2004 Brodie began to seek out experts in the field of genetics who could help produce this unique cat. "I knew I faced a number of major obstacles and didn't even know if it was possible. But I had so many potential customers committed to buy if I was successful, that I remain encouraged."

The project was officially announced in October of 2004 and garnered worldwide attention. Says Brodie, "I was taken aback with the huge positive response and massive amount of interest. The press did make a thing about the then price of $4,000 (the kittens now sell for $8,000), but those cat-loving, allergy sufferers aware of the cost and inconvenience of allergy treatments required to live with a cat understood that this was a small price to pay." And Brodie kept true to his promise to customers: deliveries began exactly 24 months later.

Although Brodie sold off his interest in the hypoallergenic cat long ago, he remains actively involved and is pleased with how the business is growing. "When a little girl tells me this (her hypoallergenic cat) is the best thing ever to happen to her, then I know we really have something unique and special."

Based on the current waiting list and ever increasing demand, the company expects sales to grow rapidly through 2008. As for new "lifestyle pets", Brodie has developed a large exotic domestic cat called the Ashera, now on sale and priced at $22,000, which already has a year waiting list. A new breed of small dog is in development and expected in 2009.