Friday, May 21, 2010

“Octomom puts pet birth control sign on her door - msnbc.com” plus 3 more

“Octomom puts pet birth control sign on her door - msnbc.com” plus 3 more

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Octomom puts pet birth control sign on her door - msnbc.com

Posted: 19 May 2010 07:49 PM PDT

LA HABRA, Calif. (AP) - It's official. Octomom Nadya Suleman doesn't want your dog or cat following in her footsteps.

As a front yard full of paparazzi cheered her on, Suleman unveiled a 3-foot-by-4-foot plastic sign Wednesday that reads: "Don't Let Your Dog or Cat Become an Octomom. Always Spay or Neuter."

"Turn left. Pose. Smile, Nadya," photographers jockeying for position shouted as Suleman stood in front of the sign.

A few curious onlookers stopped to watch as a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals mascot (a person in a dog suit) gave her a hug.

PETA is paying Suleman $5,000 to keep the sign on her front door until June 9,the deadline when city officials say it must be removed. The organization is also throwing in a month's supply of veggie hot dogs and burgers for her and her 14 children.

Suleman, 34, acknowledged she put the sign on her door partly for the money but added her support of PETA is sincere.

"I love animals and I do believe they should be spayed or neutered," she said. "Humans of course are much different."

Her children, the oldest of whom is 9, want a dog, Suleman said. She told them they can have one when they are old enough to care for it.

Suleman already had six children when she gave birth 16 months ago to octuplets conceived by in vitro fertilization.

Since then she has struggled to pay her bills and was in danger of losing her home earlier this year. Her lawyer has since negotiated an extension on a $450,000 mortgage payment that had been due in March.

"It's really a win-win situation for everyone," PETA campaign coordinator Amanda Fortino said of the sign.

Fortino said the agreement allowed PETA to do its part to help Suleman financially while also spreading word that more than 7 million cats and dogs enter shelters every year, where more than half are put to death.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Stock Picks: Alkermes, DIRECTV, PetSmart, Walgreen - BusinessWeek

Posted: 20 May 2010 11:12 AM PDT

(page 2 of 2)

PetSmart Inc.: Janney Montgomery Scott equity analyst David Strasser reiterated a neutral rating on shares of PetSmart Inc. (PETM) on May 20. He has a $30 fair value estimate on the shares.

On May 19, the pet-store chain said it had first-quarter earnings of 46 cents a share. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was for profit of 43 cents a share. PetSmart forecast second-quarter profit excluding some items of 33 cents to 37 cents a share, compared with the analyst estimate of 36 cents.

In a note, Strasser said the company posted a "solid" quarter, with same-store sales up 2.8% and gross margin up 56 basis points, "both better than our model".

"When we downgraded the stock on March 23 2010, after a 50% move in about 6 months, we had no qualms about PETM's strategy or its fundamental story," the analyst wrote. "We simply believe the rate of improvement is captured in [the stock's] current valuation".

Walgreen Co.: Credit Suisse equity analyst Edward Kelly lowered a rating on shares of Walgreen Co. (WAG) to neutral from outperform on May 20. He also lowered a price target on the shares to $36 from $42.

In a note, Kelly said the drugstore chain's plan to slow growth, cut costs, and enhance store productivity "has yielded some positive results", but he has been "disappointed with the repositioning so far". Kelly said his biggest concern is a lack of progress in the company's Consumer Centric Retailing initiative, as Walgreen's remerchandising effort "has had execution issues".

Other issues cited by the analyst include a slowing pace of cost savings, "questionable" capital allocation, and increased execution risk. He said he sees business trends remaining "sluggish" for the next few quarters.

Kelly cut his EPS estimates for fiscal 2010 (ending August) to $2.13 from $2.22, and for fiscal 2011 to $2.54 from $2.70.

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Pet Protect Announces that Catrina Skepper is on the Cover and is the ... - TMCnet

Posted: 20 May 2010 05:17 PM PDT

(PR Web Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 18th edition of leading U.K. magazine for women provides insight into the former model and Pet Protect's spokesperson's love of dogs.

Redhill, Surrey (PRWeb UK) May 20, 2010 -- (TSX: PTZ) Pethealth Inc. ("Pethealth" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that Catrina Skepper, the Company's spokesperson for Pet Protect Limited, its U.K. pet insurance company, is featured on the cover of the May 18th edition of The Lady. The feature article provides never before released details on Catrina's life as a leading model and television presenter and her life now as a wife, mother of three and official spokesperson and consumer advocate for Pet Protect.


Catrina was signed by Pethealth to be the Company's spokesperson for the Pet Protect brand in 2009. Pet Protect was acquired by Pethealth in July 2008 from D&G Insurance. Catrina's early success started with her TV appearance as the Cadbury Flake girl in 1985 which spawned a career in entertainment reporting with the BBC and NBC Europe as the host of the nightly, prime-time chat show VIP.    Her work with Pethealth has included hosting the Company's pawsconnect.com social networking site for pet owners and the series of interviews with well-known U.K. personalities who also share her passion for companion animals for the PetProtect brand. Catrina's Celebrity Chat interviews to date have included former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis and Bucks Fizz member Cheryl Baker. These interviews can be seen at http://www.petprotect.co.uk/catrina-skepper/meetcatrina-chat.asp.

"We are delighted that The Lady has chosen to feature Catrina in its latest edition," said Susan Arts, Vice-President of Marketing at Pethealth Inc. "Catrina's life as a successful career woman, wife and mother resonates with our U.K. customer base which is largely made up of women looking to find balance in their lives, managing their careers and busy households." Catrina's next interview, which will also soon be featured on www.petprotect.co.uk, will be with well-known U.K. personality Selina Scott.



About Pethealth Pethealth is North America's second largest provider of medical insurance for dogs and cats to pet owners, operating in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition, the Company is the leading provider of management software to North American animal welfare organisations through its SaaS-based application and is the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names including PetCare, 24PetWatch, Pet Protect, Petpals Direct, ShelterCare, PetPoint, Petango.com and ThePetangoStore.com.

Pethealth is based in Oakville, Ontario. To find out more about Pethealth, visit the web site at www.pethealthinc.com.

About Pet Protect Pet Protect, www.petprotect.co.uk is part of Pethealth Inc, an international group that specialises in pet insurance and pet care services to veterinarians, rescue centres and pet owners. Pet Protect was launched to the veterinary profession in 1983 to help customers meet the costs of veterinary treatments. During that time we are proud to have been able to help over half a million pets and their owners. Pet Protect Microchip ID, our new microchip and lost pet recovery service, complements our other services, and supports our continued dedication to pet health and animal welfare.

For further information contact: Susan Arts, Vice-President, Marketing Pethealth Inc., Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

(905) 842 2615 Paula McKillen, Managing Director Pet Protect Limited, Redhill, Surrey.

01737 372 806 ### Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/05/prweb4023984.htm.

(c) 2010 PRWEB.COM Newswire

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Shelter or store? Most Americans say next pet will come ... - Post-Bulletin

Posted: 20 May 2010 12:52 PM PDT

By Sue Manning
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Remember that old song, "How much is that doggie in the window?" For most Americans, it seems it's no sale.

More than half of people in an Associated Press-Petside.com poll said they would get their next dog or cat from a shelter, nearly seven times the number who said they would buy their next pet from a store.

And more than four in 10 said they thought store pets could have hidden medical or psychological problems. That's significantly more than those who expressed the same concerns about pets from animal shelters or breeders.

"I believe they overbreed the pets. I believe they couldn't care less about the pets, they're really in it for the money. I think you are more likely to get a pet at a pet store that is ill or has problems," said Sandra Toro, 62, of Colton, Calif.

Just 8 percent of those polled said they would get their next cat or dog at a store, while 13 percent said that's where they got the pet they have now. Fifty-four percent of those polled said they would probably get their next pet from a shelter, while 23 percent went for a breeder.

Toro, who has a 14-year-old rescue terrier mix named Dancer, said she doesn't understand how anyone can buy a pet from a store or a breeder.

"There are so many wonderful pets out there that will be euthanized," she said. "There's no reason for it."

John Knight, 45, of Dallas, got his 3-year-old mutt named Liesl (rhymes with diesel) from an animal shelter that was holding a weekend adoption day at Petsmart.

"There are plenty of animals out there that need good homes that don't have them. There's no reason to continue to breed animals when there are so many that have to be put down," he said.

When asked where their present pets came from, 26 percent said breeders and 30 percent said shelters — a much smaller number than said they would go to a shelter for their next pet. More than half of those polled said their dogs or cats came from places other than shelters, breeders or stores. They might have been strays, gifts from friends or favors for neighbors. Since some people have more than one pet, the numbers add to more than 100 percent.

"I've probably had 50 dogs and all but two came walking up our driveway," said Colleen Campbell, 71, of Fairview, Texas.

She and her husband have spent 50 years on their rural farm outside Dallas and it has been a perennial dumping ground for strays. They also take in any other animal that needs a home. Their vet talked them into Frito and Burrito, a pair of donkeys Campbell knew would need special medical attention.

The poll showed that dog owners (35 percent) were likelier to have gotten their current pets from a breeder than cat owners (5 percent).

Forty-seven percent of those polled said they were strongly concerned that an animal from a pet store would have medical issues they didn't know about, 38 percent had similar worries about animals from breeders and 32 percent were concerned about shelter pets.

As for psychological problems, 44 percent said they had significant worries about pet store animals and 33 percent worried about both breeder and shelter pets.

Fitting in with the family was of concern to everyone: 33 percent for stores, 30 percent for shelters and 28 percent for breeders.

When Mike Stoutenburg, 36, of Mishawaka, Ind., and his family are ready for their next dog, they will probably go to a breeder, he said, because they want an Australian shepherd. He is sure he could see any health problems in a puppy, but said he would ask his vet and groomer to check the pet out for any mental problems because the dog will be around a very young and active child — and his 3-year-old son "loves to grab things."

"Our groomer is extremely knowledgeable about animals. We trust her opinion," Stoutenburg said.

Bill Machut, 40, of Rolling Meadows, Ill., got his dog, Sidney, a Siberian Husky, from a pet store when the dog was 8 weeks old. That was 12 years ago.

If he were looking for a new pet, "I would buy from a pet store again. And I wouldn't rule out a breeder if I was looking for a certain breed. But I would probably start off at the shelters," he said.

He said most people expect things like kennel cough or worms. "There is an assumption there is a good chance there is some sort of health issue, especially being at a shelter. You deal with it. It's not that big of a deal," he said.

Several years ago, they got Sidney a playmate from a shelter, knowing before they took her in that she was sick. "She had seizures from the get go. We knew she wasn't going to be a long life dog. We had her six years."

People under age 30 (17 percent) were likelier to say they'd get a pet from a pet store than older groups (all were 7 percent or less).

The AP-Petside.com Poll was conducted April 7-12, 2010, and involved landline and cell phone interviews with 1,112 pet owners nationwide. It has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

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