Pet Fashion Week returns to take on 2008, in style

Just when you thought it was safe to let your pet walk around in its birthday suit, along comes a reminder that Pet Fashion Week 2008 is coming up in August this year, a New York lifestyle trade show where no dog is allowed to strut its stuff without being seen in the latest designer outfit or million-dollar diamond-encrusted collar.

 

This year’s show has expanded to include two new segments, The Grooming Galleria and Design on 4, to accompany the already popular PFW Buyer Runway Shows, the ECOuture Charity Fundraiser, and the PFW Awards Program. The Grooming Galleria will showcase the latest trends in pet styling, featuring companies offering the best in pet styling products, scissors and shears, salon equipment, and salon design, while Design on 4 will promote the latest talented designers and international companies new to the US market.

 

The PFW Buyer Runway Show will be, as always, an extraordinary production. Presenting ready-to-wear collections and couture creations from twelve of the world’s best pet fashion designers, it will undoubtedly attract trend-conscious buyers and media from around the world.

 

Combining environmental responsibility with fashion and fundraising, the ECOuture Charity Fundraiser has been designed to encourage the pet industry to make eco-friendly business decisions.  Guests, including manufacturers, designers and retailers, will be encouraged to donate product inventory to the cause, and The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals will then distribute the products to shelters, allowing them to raise funds through end-consumer sales, silent auctions and raffles.

 

The event, held at the Metropolitan Pavilion and the adjioning Atman Building, runs from August 23rd to 24th and is organised by Mario DiFante and Alexa Cach. For a complete schedule and more information please visit www.petfashionweek.com

 

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Ubisoft partners with the RSPCA to promote virtual pets

Responsible pet ownership is a topic frequently raised in the pet industry, and there are multiple methods used to inform the public about how to become better parents to their pet. Ubisoft, a game publisher, has designed a new virtual-pet game to do just that. They hope that players will not only pick up important skills by raising animals in their Petz range, but a percentage of their profit will be donated to the RSPCA to help real-life pets.

 

“We are proud to support the RSPCA’s ongoing work as an advocate for animal care and protection,” said Ubisoft general manager Edward Fong, “and we are glad that the new Petz series can contribute to the work of this worthy cause.”

 

The pets available to ‘own’ in the Petz series range includes dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and (although rarely kept as pets in Australia) hamsters.

 

Heather Neill, CEO of RSPCA Australia, believes that the Ubisoft Petz series is an educational and fun way for people to experience day-to-day pet ownership before they make the decision to go out and buy a real one.

 

“Taking an animal into your home is a big decision that should not be taken lightly and education should play an important role in the decision-making process,” she said. “We are delighted to announce our partnership with Ubisoft and we encourage potential pet owners to explore the basics of having a pet in the virtual world.”

Source: Daily Telegraph April 2008

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Pitt Street Pups

 

Sydney residents with a soft-spot for pint-size Guide Dogs should pencil April 30^th in their diaries, as Pitt Street Mall will be full to the brim with Guide Dogs NSW/ACT staff, clients, volunteers and puppies-in-training for the 2008 International Guide Dog Day celebrations.

 

Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Marketing and Communications manager Manisha Amin expects this year to surpass the 2007 celebrations.

 

“Last year’s Pups in Pitt Street Mall was a huge success for us and everyone had a great day, especially the pups!” she said. “This year’s Pups in Pitt Street will be bigger and even better, so come along, meet our friendly staff and volunteers, say hello to our pups and learn about the vital role a Guide Dog can play in the life of someone who is blind or vision impaired.”

 

When: Wednesday 30^th April, 12pm to 2pm

Where: Pitt Street Mall.

 

For further information on Guide Dogs NSW/ACT, Pups in Pitt Street or how you can become involved, call 02 9412 9300 or visit www.guidedogs.com.au

 

Source: Australian Associated Press, April 2008

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RSPCA launches new ad campaign

 

If you haven’t seen it yet, you soon will. A controversial advertising campaign was launched by the RSPCA yesterday, one ad depicting a man relentlessly bashing a woman while the voiceover to the ad explains that 37 per cent of violent criminals admit to having been cruel to animals as children. The sounds of a dog whimpering are heard each time she is struck.

 

Some women attending the launch were so affected by the violent images that they were reduced to tears, and the RSPCA expects that some television networks may be hesitant to put it to air for fear of receiving complaints through the Advertising Standards Board.

 

Lindsey Evans, managing director of the advertising agency behind the ads, The Campaign Palace, said she refused to apologise for the brutality of the ads. The agency received a brief from the RSPCA with the specific aim to shock people out of their complacency about cruelty, and Ms Evans hopes that the ads will raise money for the RSPCA’s projects, including programs designed to educate children on how to treat animals.

 

“There is a perception abroad that it has plenty of support and money; that it rescues kittens stuck up trees and finds nice new homes for unwanted dogs,” Ms Evans said. “But there is a dark side to animal welfare and it is this, plus the enormous and varied workload of the RSPCA, that we want to bring to public attention.”

 

 

Source: Simon Canning, The Australian, April 2008

 

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PET SHOP FOR SALE

 

Pet Shop for sale – 125 square metres in Sydney Shopping Centre. New developments opening in area – great potential for growth.  

 

 

Shop sells full range of pet products with fish and some sales in cats, dogs and small animals. For sales figures and rent please contact Bob Croucher on 0418 215 722.