White proposes tax credit for adopting pet from shelter

Tax credit incentives for pet adoptions.

A new tax credit of $300 to people who adopt a dog or cat from a Pennsylvania animal shelter. With the increase in abandoned and homeless dogs due to the economic downturn, this incentive was developed to encourage adoption and help offset the expense of caring for the pet.

Read the details in the Observer Reporter

Grand Opening of Eukanuba Hall at the Roberts Centre

WILMINGTON, Ohio (Business Wire) -- Eukanuba Dog and Cat Foods along with The Roberts Centre, announced the grand opening of Eukanuba Hall at the Roberts Centre. This facility is a Best in Class canine and feline event venue!

"Eukanuba Hall at the Roberts Centre is an example of our long-term commitment to the breeder-enthusiast community," said Mabe Rodriguez, Vice President and General Manager, P&G Pet Care-Americas. "Eukanuba is a proud partner of the American Kennel Club (AKC) and look forward to hosting even more AKC sanctioned events at Eukanuba Hall."

The inaugural event held in Eukanuba Hall at the Roberts Centre is the Afghan Hound Club of America's 2011 National Specialty going on now through Friday. "Columbus Hospitality Management is very proud to partner with Eukanuba to host future kennel and parent breed club events. Eukanuba Hall at the Roberts Centre is a full-service destination for canine and feline enthusiasts who want to host in an indoor or outdoor show," said Charles Lagarce, President and CEO, Columbus Hospitality Group.

The facility is attached to a Holiday Inn Hotel and has more than 80,000 square feet of the region's most beautiful and unobstructed flexible space. It is a spectacular place to host activities including: Cat shows, Canine agility, Lure Coursing, Herding, Conformation, Tracking, Flying disc, Dock diving dogs, Seminar/Symposiums, Sporting events, Grooming competitions, and training seminars.

About P&G Pet Care

For more than 60 years, P&G Pet Care (NYSE:PG), the maker of Iams and Eukanuba, has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet care products. To learn more about Eukanuba(R) and Iams(R) Dog & Cat Foods or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Consumer Care Center at (800) 446-3075. You can also visit us on the Web at www.iams.com or www.eukanuba.com.

About Procter & Gamble

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Pampers(R), Tide(R), Ariel(R), Always(R), Whisper(R), Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Dawn(R), Fairy(R), Gain(R), Pringles(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Lenor(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Wella(R), Gillette(R), Braun(R), Fusion(R), Ace(R), Febreze(R), and AmbiPur(R). With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Procter & Gamble Pet CareJason Taylor, 513-622-3205taylor.jw@pg.com

The Summit for Urban Animal Strategies - October 19 - 22, 2011

SESSION SPOTLIGHT

Conversations for Animal Health and Wellness, Friday, October 21

The talented and trusted Karen Dawson will facilitate our conversations. Our mission is to embrace an Evidence Based approach to Animal Health and Wellness in our communities. The evidence and facts presented on Thursday can guide our conversations. The outcomes we produce may be: Recommendations for the National Organizations that govern our industry; Toolkits for the agencies that support pet families in our municipalities; and/or, A consensus for the priorities we will support together as an industry.

ABOUT KAREN DAWSON

Karen Dawson is an executive coach. She challenges and supports clients to lead creatively – and have fun doing so. Karen invites conversations that help people get unstuck and moving forward on things that matter.

Karen’s background is varied; some might say odd. Grounded in theatre training as a performer and director, with seven years experience as a flying instructor with the Canadian Military cadet program, Karen has been a cocktail waitress, jail matron, physics teacher, university faculty and executive coach. Her graduate studies focus on leadership and its development – she is currently in the middle of a PhD program researching organizational effectiveness and change making as a relational phenomenon.

Karen enjoys running half-marathons (very slowly), reading fiction, playing with improvisation and its applications to organizational life, and parenting two feisty, delightful young adults.

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ABOUT THE SUMMIT

Vision:To gather executive level thought leaders who can advance the state of the art in urban animal strategies

Mission: To promote strategies that build healthy communities for pets and people and to recognize those who achieve success

This sixth annual gathering of Industry leaders takes place from October 19 - 22 at the Fairmont Chateau, Montebello, Quebec.

As we are learning, Animal Health and Wellness is directly related to human health in our communities. For this reason the 2011 agenda may facilitate the most strategic conversation to be brought forward to a Summit.

The industry is changing, have your say.

View full agenda and learn more about the summit

Shelters applaud limits on pet store sales

Montreal animal shelters are applauding a Toronto bylaw banning pet stores from selling dogs and cats that come from breeders and asking for the move to be copied here.

The Companion Animal Adoption Centres of Quebec regularly delivers dog to Toronto for adoption, since May of this year approximately 700 have been sent.

"Our pounds and shelters are overflowing, because nobody's adopting - they're buying them from pet stores that buy them from producers who are creating a product that is not needed," Says Johanne Tassé head of CAACQ. "There is a glut in the market. As long as shelter animals are being killed in shelters and pounds, only shelter animals should be sold."

Read the full article in the Montreal Gazette

Also of interest

See what the Canadian Federation of Human Societies says.

Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada (PIJAC) Statement

AVMA Calls for Support to Quash Act

The American Veterinary Medical Association rebutted Walmart's recent message in support of H.R. 1406, the Fairness to Pet Owners Act, in a statement issued to AVMA members on yesterday.

The bill was introduced on April 6, 2011, in the House of Representatives by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Terry Lee, R-Neb., and was referred to the Subcommittee on Health, where it has remained. The act would require a veterinarian to do the following when prescribing a drug for animals:

• Provide the pet owner a copy of the veterinary prescription;
• Provide the pet owner with a written disclosure that the pet owner may fill the prescription through the prescriber (if available) or through another pharmacy determined by the pet owner; and
• Provide or verify the prescription by electronic or other means consistent with applicable state law, if requested by any person designated to act on behalf of the pet owner

The AMVA called the bill “unnecessary and redundant” because the association has a long-standing policy of encouraging veterinarians to write a prescription in lieu of dispensing when asked by a client. The AVMA encourages its members to contact their representatives and tell them to oppose the bill. The AMVA’s issue brief on the bill can be found on the AMVA website.

Read the details posted on Veterinary Practical News

Summits for Urban Animal Strategies - October 19 - 22

SESSION SPOTLIGHT

Community Health and Wellness Model
Presentations and Discussion Panel, 13:30 October 20

Many agree the companion animal industry can work more collaboratively to create a better model for the health and wellness of pets and people in our communities. By working together, perhaps we can achieve such industry goals as: The establishment of a lifetime relationship with a healthcare provider; A higher level of care for companion animals through a proactive pet family; An industry wide approach to ‘One Health’ in our communities; The altering of all non-breeder animals; The permanent identification of all animals in the national database [responsibility, recovery & disease surveillance]; and, A reduction in the number of surrenders and abandonments in our communities.

As we have observed with the 2011 Care for Cats initiative, the implementation of an Urban Animal Strategy with support from all sectors of our industry can achieve a great result. A more complete model for Community Health and Wellness will require wide industry support from Animal Welfare, Animal Control and Enforcement and Animal Services [retailers, kennels, breeders, service providers and others] working together with those traditionally involved in Animal Health & Wellness. In this Summit conversation, can we find the ‘Big Idea(s)’ that will move us forward as professionals in our communities?

The featured panel discussion of the 2011 Summit will provide brief opening statements from each panelist to bring forward the issues they observe, the evidence they have [or don’t have] and the big ideas that we might consider. Once these presentations are complete, our conference moderator Diane Frank will facilitate a discussion that adds clarity to our thinking and prepares us for the OpenSpace sessions lead by Karen Dawson on Friday.

Scheduled Panellists

Moderator – Dr. Diane Frank, University of Montreal

Six of Canada’s thought leaders weigh in on Community Health and Wellness from their unique perspective:

Doug Raven – CEO of Canada’s largest provincial veterinary association (the Ontario VMA), which recently engaged its membership in a dialogue about how to improve access to veterinary healthcare for pet owners of limited financial means;

Drew Van Niekerk - A partner/owner in Canada’s largest practice aggregator/consolidator, exploring new models for delivering healthcare within Canadian communities;

Kristin Williams – The executive director of the Nova Scotia SPCA has been developing a collaborative model of healthcare delivery in Canada’s Atlantic Region;

Jason Coe - A recognized name in population studies at the University of Guelph is working to understand the problem of surrenders and abandonments in our communities from a sociological perspective;

Jim Sykes – Chief Operating Officer of OSPCA, an organization that has initiated innovations in both high-volume spay/neuter services and shelter health/wellness.

Louis McCann – The Executive Director of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council of Canada [PIJAC Canada] represents industry professionals across Canada who help establish relationships with healthcare professionals in each community.

ABOUT THE SUMMIT

Vision: To gather executive level thought leaders who can advance the state of the art in urban animal strategies

Mission: To promote strategies that build healthy communities for pets and people and to recognize those who achieve success

This sixth annual gathering of Industry leaders takes place from October 19 - 22 at the Fairmont Chateau, Montebello, Quebec.

As we are learning, Animal Health and Wellness is directly related to human health in our communities. For this reason the 2011 agenda may facilitate the most strategic conversation to be brought forward to a Summit.

The industry is changing, have your say.

View full agenda and learn more about the summit

2011 is declared ‘The Year of the Cat and Sept. 23 – Oct. 2 — National Cat ID Week

Companion Animal Industry Rallies Together to Identify & Register Cats

2011 is declared ‘The Year of the Cat and Sept. 23 – Oct. 2 — National Cat ID Week focusing on permanent identification, licensing and registration

The 2011 Year of the Cat initiative continues to gather momentum. This Canada-wide initiative created by Care for Cats is a long-term project that will increase the value of owned, homeless and feral cats in Canadian communities. Care for Cats has announced that September 23 – Oct 2 is National Cat ID Week! Key community collaborators will be delivering identification clinics and drives to register felines across Canada.

“Many people do not realize it but a lost cat has a very small chance to return back home safely. This does not have to be the case considering we have the tools and the solutions; we simply must work together to create healthier communities for cats and people. A very high number of cats are not identified and/or registered and this results in a huge burden on animal shelters, municipalities and communities – Canada is in crisis,” explains Dr. O’Brien. “The nation’s animal shelters are over overflowing with cats. By focusing on identifying and registering felines we will increase their chances to get back home should they go missing.”

Care for Cats has built its public educational campaign based on solid facts. The 2008 Business of Urban Animals Survey (BUAS), commissioned by PetLynx Corporation for the International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, provided statistical proof of what people working in animal shelters and veterinary hospitals have known for decades: cats are not generally valued as much as dogs. In almost every category covered by this survey, dogs received better care than cats.

The study revealed that more than 8.5 million cats are warming the sofas of 36 per cent of Canadian households. The disappointing news is that half of them did not receive regular veterinary care in the past 12 months and less than 25 per cent have permanent identification, such as tattoos or microchips. Forty-one per cent either haven’t been vaccinated in the last four years or have never been vaccinated at all.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Dr. Liz O’Brien, Care for Cats Committee Chair (p) 905.570.4145 (e) drliz@careforcats.ca

CARE FOR CATS ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS

ANIMAL WELARE

• Canadian Federation of Humane Societies
• Ontario SPCA
• SCAT Street Cat Rescue Program, Saskatoon, SK
• PetSmart Charities Canada
• Pierre's Alley Cat Society, Halifax, NS
• Calgary Humane Society, Calgary, AB
• Meow Foundation, Calgary, AB

ANIMAL CONTROL & LEGISLATIVE ENFORCEMENT

• City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services
• Toronto Animal Services

ANIMAL HEALTH & WELLNESS

• Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
• The Cat Clinic, Hamilton, ON
• Diane Frank DVM, DABVB, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC
• Hugh Chisolm DVM, Halifax, NS
• Liz O’Brien DVM, Diplomate, ABVP (Feline Practice), Hamilton, ON
• Margie Scherk DVM, Diplomate, ABVP (Feline Practice), Vancouver, BC
• Susan Little DVM, Diplomate, ABVP (Feline Practice), Ottawa, ON
• Diane McKelvey DVM, Diplomate, ABVP (Feline Practice), Kamloops, BC
• Alice Crook, DVM, Atlantic Veterinary College, Charlottetown, PEI
• Anne Marie Carey, DVM, Atlantic Veterinary College, Charlottetown, PEI

ANIMAL SERVICES

• Canadian Cat Association
• Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) Canada
• Petsecure, Western Financial Insurance
• PetLynx Corporation

ABOUT CARE FOR CATS AND YEAR OF THE CAT

Care for Cats (CFC) is a long-term project that will increase the value of owned, homeless and feral cars in Canadian communalities. CFC has a model of ‘free of charge’ distribution of impactful public education programs and support materials that can be used by anyone working in the companion animal industry, including shelters and rescue organization, municipalities, pet stores, veterinarians and more. One purpose of the initiative is to encourage community collaboration across all industry sectors; providing accurate resources; and the collection and evaluation of national metrics to measure success. http://www.careforcats.ca

CFC is organized under the direction of volunteer Advisory Council with representatives from all four sectors of the companion animal industry. (See below.) It is being supported by Petsecure Pet Insurance, PetSmart Charities Canada, Ontario SPCA, Boerhringer Ingelheim, Iams Canada and PetLynx Corporation.

2011 Year of the Cat (YOC) is a Canada-wide initiative intended to ‘get rid of the myths and give the facts!’ This program will bring a national time-line of events such as adopt-a-thons and an identification week. To facilitate the effective delivery of these programs online toolkits will be provided at no cost to community collaborators across Canada.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL SUMMITS FOR URBAN ANIMAL STRATEGIES

The International Summit for Urban Animal Strategies [ISUAS] attracts Executive Thought Leaders from North America’s Companion Animal Industry to develop strategies that will create and sustain healthy communities for pets and people. Executive level discussion, networking and world-class speakers facilitate the executive working sessions. The Annual Summit Awards are presented in conjunction with the Alumni Summit each October and bestow the recognition of industry peers upon individuals and organizations who are achieving success in each summit award category.

http://www.tsuas.com