International
Pet Product News
October 2017
Vol. 74 No. 10
EDITORIAL
Editor in Chief Jennifer Boncy
jboncy@petproductnews.com
Managing Editor Lindsey Wojcik
lwojcik@petproductnews.com
Senior Editor Carrie Brenner
cbrenner@petproductnews.com
Contributing Editors Barry Berman, Lizett Bond,
Sandy Chebat, Hilary Daninhirsch, Lindsey Getz,
B.C. Henschen, Keith Loria, Ethan Mizer, Audrey Pavia
Art Director Sandra Schmeil
Kathy Ahearn
Four Your Paws Only
Jungle Bob
Jungle Bob’s Reptile World
Pattie Boden
Animal Connection
Aquila Brown
The Yuppy Puppy
Brad Kriser
Kriser’s Natural Pet
Marni and Paul Lewis
The Green K9
Claudia Loomis
Cherrybrook Premium
Pet Supplies
Kim McCohan and
Ryan Kwaterski
Bend Pet Express
Don Payne
CountryMax
Denise Strong
Pawz On Main
Errin West
Cat Connection
Retailer of the Year Mark and Deborah Vitt, Mutts & Co.
RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD 2017-2018
Chairman & CEO Peter Callahan
President & COO Carolyn Callahan
Senior V.P. Administration/Treasurer Anna Blanco
Senior V.P. Finance and CFO Gerard J. Cerza, Jr.
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Pet Product News International October 2017
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
A Culture of Giving
4
Keep Your Personal Touch
As I write this, people throughout Florida are in various stages of coping with the effects of Hurricane
Irma, whether holed up inside their homes
without power or water—or both—or sheltered somewhere out of the storm’s path,
waiting to find out the extent of the damage
to their homes and communities. It’s still
too soon for us to know the full impact that
this force of Mother Nature has had on the
people and pets affected by Irma. What we
do know, however, is that disasters such as
these have a galvanizing effect on what is
already a rather motivated and philanthropic community—the pet industry.
From pet specialty retailers and product
manufacturers to veterinarians and animal
shelters, the pet industry and its partners
were quick to throw its support behind
the pets and people affected by Hurricane
Harvey, which made landfall—and broke
records—in Texas a little more than two
weeks before Irma’s arrival in Florida. Story
after story emerged from pet industry
participants about the many ways in which
companies were lending their support
to animals and people in need following
the devastation caused by Harvey. And
although the editors at Pet Product News
(PPN) were overwhelmed with emails on
these various charitable efforts, we cannot
say that we were surprised. The drive to
give back, it seems, is infused into the
culture of the pet industry.
Anyone who needs any further proof
of the generosity and community-mind-
edness of those in the pet industry needs
only to turn to page 30, where we kick off
five pages brimming with anecdotes about
how pet product manufacturers give back
to their communities and help both people
and pets in need. In fact, we have so much
content on the charitable work that these
companies do, that this year’s annual PPN
Paw It Forward feature will be brought to
you in a two-part series, which will continue
in next month’s issue—and with an added
bonus.
In November, we will feature our
exclusive story on Brandon McMillan, the
Emmy Award-winning television host and
animal trainer of the television series “Lucky
Dog” on CBS. Known for his own charitable
work, which is also showcased on his show,
McMillan invited PPN to his set for a behind-the-scenes look at what he does, along with
the opportunity to learn more about this
rising star whose career began simply with
rescuing and training pets for service and
adoption.
In the meantime, check out our new
Inside Look feature (page 24), which this
month focuses on pet food and treat manufacturer Grandma Lucy’s. In this regularly
occurring column, we will give pet specialty
retailers and others in the industry a chance
to get up close and personal with their
manufacturer partners. Readers will get a
behind-the-scenes view of their operations
and objectives, and even get to meet the
must-know people on their staff.
And don’t miss our Q4 Focus feature
(page 38), where we offer up a look at
must-stock products for the year’s final
months. Happy shopping!
This summer, I was surprised to receive a handwritten postcard from Chewy.com. Signed “Paws & Kisses” from Phylicia—she
even drew a heart in front of her name—the note
said she hoped my cat was having fun with my
recent toy purchase.
I was a bit startled by this effusion of goodwill
from Phylicia, as I, obviously, have never met her.
But mostly I was surprised by Chewy’s attempt to
carve out a piece of the personalized-service pie in
such a manner. For me, there’s a clear line between
a real, one-on-one connection and the type of service a behemoth such as Chewy can offer.
At my local pet store, the woman I buy pet sup-
plies from knows my cat (via the various stories I
have related to her and photos, and, yes, even vid-
eos I have shown her). Despite the fact that I have
worked on Pet Product News for a long time and
read many, many articles about the benefits of raw
food, she’s the one who finally convinced me to buy
that first frozen bag (my cat loves it). She’s given me
advice on where to go for a weekend getaway, we
trade notes on what foods our cats like and what
flavors they pooh-pooh, and I once overheard
her on the phone offer-
ing to meet a customer
somewhere off the 405
freeway to give her the
pet food she needed that
day. On a recent visit,
in an effort to deter-
mine whether my cat hates all pet sitters, she even
offered to come to my house and see if my cat
would attack her.
And then there are Biscuit and Henry. Biscuit, a
golden retriever, is usually splayed on the floor in
front of the door of the store, hoping for belly rubs.
Henry is a sweet older pug that is always up for a
scratch behind the ear.
A handwritten note from someone a customer
has never met at a large online retailer can’t forge
the kinds of connections you and your employ-
ees—and even your pets—can make with custom-
ers. Every time you go out of your way to make
someone’s day, you make yourself a little closer to
that person and their pet.
—Carrie Brenner
Senior Editor
Dr. and Mrs. Pol Stand with Vetericyn
Vetericyn sponsored and hosted Dr. and Mrs. Pol of the NatGeo
show “The Incredible Dr. Pol” at the company’s booth this past
July at the SuperZoo trade show held at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center in Las Vegas—a fact that was inadvertently
left out of the caption for the photo in the September issue of Pet
Product News. The famed veterinarian was on hand for meet-and-greets with show attendees.
Brandon
McMillan
invited PPN to the
set of his show
“Lucky Dog.”
