Summit 2014 Forum Attacks Industry Dilemmas

The Urban Animal industry has many dilemmas, however, 100 of the best and brightest minds in the Urban Animal industry are gearing up to tackle them.

The ninth annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, will feature a challenging Urban Animal Forum™ on Friday, 24 October, 2014. In addition, to dilemmas proposed during the Summit are these conversations already underway:

• Certification and Quality Management for breeders (sources of kittens/puppies)
• Voluntary compliance/self regulation for the industry
• Redesigning organizations for the experience economy/social media
• Administrative Monetary Penalties as an alternative to fines (justice system)
• Lifetime licensing for animals in urban municipalities
• Banning retail pet sales - do bans eliminate or exacerbate sourcing issues
• Pet experience project - defining research to obtain evidence still needed
• Implications of pets for the delivery of public health and social programs
• Pets enhance communities but has urban planning got pets on the radar
• Improving animal care - can prepaid wellness lower costs
• Non-surgical sterilization as an intervention in feral and domestic populations

If you can lead or contribute to one of these conversations please contact

Shannon Woodward or Larry Evans

The Urban Animal Forum™ produces one of four outcomes for each dilemma addressed:

• Strategic/tactical recommendations to a national organization or agency – recognizes the issue is sector specific or requires consensus building by someone with presence, jurisdiction and/or subject matter authority.
• Referred to the Urban Animal Foundation to gather additional evidence – recognizes the conversation does not yet have sufficient data to support innovation.
• Referred to a Centre of Excellence (ad hoc group or community) who with support from the Urban Animal Foundation beta tests strategies or tactics most likely to succeed – recognizes innovation is within reach but still requires passionate people and a laboratory to develop/demonstrate/test an implementation plan.
• Offered as a candidate for the next ‘National Initiative’ of the Urban Animal program – delegates use rounds of automated voting at the Urban Animal Forum™ to select an initiative that has the support of the entire industry.

 

Get the facts, Have YourSAY™, Move the Industry

REGISTER for Summit 2014

Pet owners disagree with pet-sale bans

By an overwhelming margin, America's dog and cat owners say the best way to crack down on illegal puppy mill operators is not to ban the sale of dogs and cats at local pet stores, as a handful of local communities have done, but rather to enact and enforce tougher breeder standards (67.3%).

READ MORE: What's next for retail bans and commercial breeding? 

The Pet Leadership Council, a coalition of pet industry leaders championing responsible pet ownership, commissioned Harris Poll to conduct an online survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to determine American's views on puppy mill regulations. 

READ MORE: APPA Board Approves Formation of New Pet Leadership Council

Highlights of the poll include: 

• Nine in ten (89%) U.S. adults say the solution to puppy mills is to have tougher breeder standards that crack down on illegal operators
• Four in five (81%) U.S. adults say banning dog sales entirely at pet stores will not stop puppy mills from continuing
• 92% of U.S. adults report follow-up visits to breeders are needed to ensure regulations are being followed to avoid puppy mills 
• Over six in ten (63%) U.S. adults own a pet: 59% own a cat and/or dog

READ MORE: How best to eliminate puppy mills? Pet owners prefer tougher breeder standards over pet-sale bans

Join this important conversation by registering for the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies, October 22-25. Get the facts, have YourSAY™, move the industry! 

REGISTER NOW! 

What's next for retail bans and commercial breeding?

Controversial legislation in municipalities across North America is sparking debate between the pet retail industry and animal rights activists.  

In Phoenix, AZ, last month, city councillors voted to pass a law prohibiting the sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores. Adoption models prevail under this legislation as only rescues would be available in shops.

READ MORE: Phoenix's attempt to curb puppy mills challenged

Earlier this year, InfoStream reported that four leading U.S. organizations were joining together to support a pending lawsuit challenging this prohibition. The American Pet Products Association (APPA), the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), the Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA) and the World Pet Association (WPA) collectively donated $125,000 to support the lawsuit brought into the U.S. District Court in Phoenix on behalf of a local pet store, Puppies ‘N Love.

READ MORE: Leading industry organizations join forces to overturn retail ban

The new law is aimed at mass-breeding facilities (often called puppy mills) but APPA President Bob Vetere said Bans of this nature often punish stores and breeders who sell quality pets and breeds unavailable in shelters.

“These restrictions threaten our industry,” he said. “By working together to overturn these types of bans, we can use this opportunity to establish better standards for both breeders and pet stores.”

READ MORE: Petland CEO defends retail sale of pets

The industry banding together to fight this and funding the fight brings the sourcing discussion to a new level. A Certified Quality Mark developed and regulated by the Alliance for Urban Animals is one of several relevant and crucial conversations taking place at the Urban Animal Forums on Friday 24 October at the 2014 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies.   

Advocates on either side of this debate are invited to attend the Summit and participate in these discussions to help ensure the conversation moves forward in a direction acceptable to all involved parties.

Summit 2014 - Major Themes and Conversations

The ninth annual Summit for Urban Animal Strategies is presented by Pets Plus Us and will feature important conversations arising out of Summit 2013 and the 2014 Regional Conferences earlier this year:

The Pet Experience Project - Sourcing:

The Pet Experience Project has shown that many problems associated with pets and people occur because of an incomplete process during the initial transfer of a pet to a new home. How can the industry move from finger pointing to develop a ‘best practice’ that reduces or eliminates this problem? Could the industry use lessons from human adoptions to develop an adoption model regardless of whether the transfer is from a primary or secondary source?

The Pet Experience Project - Metrics:

The pet business is changing rapidly. What are the implications of these changes for animal/community services, humane/rescue, health/wellness, commercial services/retail, breeders and public health? Certain services may need to be eliminated and some business models may not survive. How will the pet industry contend with changing consumer interests and compete with other funding priorities in the community? Can the industry develop market signals by gathering consumer intentions? Who will own and be in charge of the data?

The Pet Experience Project - Rethinking Community Interventions:

The Pet Experience Project has revealed a vital role for pets in the community. Human-animal interactions may be underutilized in certain areas. Delivering care and companionship in therapeutic, social and health settings is under a great deal of financial pressure. Can the industry be more proactive in these areas to enhance both the lives of people and pets while reducing or eliminating the human resource costs?   

The Pet Experience Project - Integrated Messaging through community portals:

A common complaint from consumers in the Pet Experience Project is confusion that stems from myriad channels that lack validation. An obvious answer is to develop community portals managed by an arms length party where all the valid information lives. Technology may be an ally and the ‘cloud’ may facilitate what was once only imagined. Would licensing, adoption, medical intervention and concierge services all benefit from a community portal?   

Alliance for Urban Animals - Removing the barriers of ‘moral tribes’:

An old African proverb says, “If you want go fast - go alone; If you want to go far, go together.” It was good advice with ample supportive evidence. However, in this day and age new demands require a quick response that is sustainable over the long term. Can this dilemma be resolved while remaining so attached to our ‘moral tribes’? Could industry stakeholders agree to disagree in favor of collaborative activities that generate a win for people, animals and the community.

In addition, to these five conversations, the UA Forum™ on Friday provides an opportunity for delegates to bring forward pressing issues and dilemmas. Two delegate seats for each conversation have been reserved to support leading thinkers with subject matter expertise.

Urban Animal subscribers may nominate a qualified resource by contacting Shannon Woodward.

Alumni may complete their registration at www.urbananimal.com.

Industry conversations have been determined

Check out what delegates are talking about at the 2013 Summit for Urban Animal delegates are talking about during today's Friday Forums.