PLC Newsletter

Mark your calendars and buckle up your pet’s car seat because Take Your Pet to Work Week™ is set for June 17-21! The celebration was created by Pet Sitters International as a way to highlight the incredible companions that pets make, especially to coworkers who don’t have a pet, in hopes that more pets will be adopted. It’s always great to see employers open up their doors to employee’s pets, which is why the PLC is hosting two social media contests through its Pet-Friendly Cities initiative. The contests will serve as a way to spotlight some of the pet-friendly workplaces in the pilot cities of Austin, Texas and Columbus, Ohio.

Austin Pet Friendly will kick things off with a Facebook contest beginning Thursday, June 13. All week long, Austin residents are invited to post photos of their pets at work for a chance to win coffee and donuts for their entire office (and of course, treats for their pet!) Follow Austin Pet Friendly’s Facebook page for updates; one lucky winner will be announced Friday, June 21, which just so happens to be Take Your Dog to Work Day.

Also coinciding with Take Your Dog to Work Day, Columbus residents can enter Columbus Pet Friendly’s social media contest by posting an Instagram story with their dog at work. By encouraging employers to welcome dogs in the office for the day, we hope to show Columbus businesses the many benefits being pet-friendly can bring to employees. Participants will have the chance to win prizes or a visit from the Pet Food Institute’s Treat Patrol! Visit the event page on Facebook to learn more and RSVP.

If you’re not in one of our pilot cities, you can still use Take Your Pet to Work Week to celebrate pets in the workplace. A few ways to do this include allowing pets in the office if you don’t already, and if you do, ask employees to post photos with their pets in the office on social media, using the hashtag #TakeYourPetToWorkWeek, to join the conversation.

I look forward to seeing your participation. Thanks for your continued support and enjoy this week’s readings.

American Quarter Horse Hall of Famer Dr. Tom Lenz was named the recipient of the 2019 Equine Industry Vision Award. Zoetis presented the award to Dr. Lenz, in partnership with American Horse Publications, during the AHP Equine Media Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

It’s time for a checkup. Not for my pets, but for a certain item called veterinary telemedicine. Every reader of Today’s Veterinary Business knows that you cannot attend a local, state or national veterinary meeting without seeing telemedicine on the agenda.

Have you ever wondered what your dog thinks about going to the groomer, the vet, or the dog park? The answer is different for every dog depending on its individual personality and experiences.

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI) are set to host the Feed and Pet Food Joint Conference Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.

The American Kennel Club has launched AKC PuppyVisor™, a personalized dog concierge service to help potential dog owners find their new best friend. Whether looking for a puppy or to give an older dog a good home, the service is designed to walk customers through each stage of the process.

Research has shown that having pets in the workplace improves productivity, collaboration, and alleviates stress. Watch our fun take on how a pet-friendly policy benefitted this company’s culture!

The 2019 America’s Family Pet Expo was a success with consumers and the thousands of animal lovers who came from throughout Southern California to attend the event at the OC Fair & Event Center.

The American Pet Products Association (APPA) recently reported two newly-elected positions. Alice Tillett, the CEO of Doskocil Manufacturing, has been named chair of the APPA Board of Directors, and Jeremy Baker, vice president of strategic business development at Oxbow Animal Health, was named director.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) unveiled a new Workplace Wellbeing Certificate Program to connect all members of the veterinary team with critical resources for group and individual problem solving centered around creating a culture of wellbeing.

Mars Petcare and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) today gathered leaders in public health, research, psychology, gerontology, and veterinary medicine to advance scientific research, best practices, and practical solutions to facilitate the role of companion animals and human-animal interaction (HAI) in addressing the public health crisis of social isolation and loneliness in society.