MONROVIA, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2010) – SuperZoo, the national show for pet retailers, experienced a substantial increase in the number of exhibitors and attendees at the 2010 show hosted recently at The Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.  Currently in its sixth year in Las Vegas, the three-day industry trade show noted an almost 14 percent increase in the number of exhibitors over the previous year and hosted more than 10,000 attendees, establishing a record-breaking event for the show’s producer, the World Pet Association (WPA).

“WPA is thrilled to report the success of SuperZoo 2010,” said Doug Poindexter, president of the World Pet Association. “We remain dedicated to providing the most valuable experience possible for our exhibitors and attendees and look forward to another great show in 2011,” Poindexter said.

Managed by the WPA, formerly the World Wide Pet Industry Association, SuperZoo attracts exhibitors and attendees from around the world with unique trade show features such as SuperZoo University, a pet industry education program which offers seminars covering important topics within the industry to help educate exhibitors on ways to improve their businesses. Other unique features include The Club at SuperZoo and the Groomer’s SuperShow, which awards more than $45,000 in prizing through the Groomer Super Jackpot contest and Creative Styling competitions.

In addition to hosting thousands of pet industry professionals, SuperZoo also supports the local community by hosting Rescue Rodeo, which challenges groomers to makeover rescue dogs from Las Vegas-area shelters. In addition to the prize money awarded to the winning groomers, shelters that provided the winning dogs received a cash donation.  This year’s competition attracted the largest turnout yet, with more than 44 local dogs participating in Rescue Rodeo.

World Pet Association also backed a charity fundraiser at SuperZoo for the nonprofit groups, Pets in the Classroom and Canine Cancer Foundation. Pets in the Classroom is a program geared towards educating youth on the joys and responsibilities surrounding pet ownership through providing classrooms with pets. The Canine Cancer Foundation is dedicated to eliminating cancer in dogs by funding research. Sponsored by ET Horn, this first year event raised more than $13,000 to be split between the two organizations.

SuperZoo also awarded annual “New Product” awards at the show in eight categories. The award process allows buyers the opportunity to vote on their favorite items from the New Product Showcase during the first day of the show. The following winners were announced at SuperZoo:

“New Product” Awards Winners

• Overall Best in Show
  1. United Pet Group – Tetra Fauna Viquarium
  2. United Pet Group – Waterfall Globe Aquarium
  3. Arms Reach Concepts – Co-Sleeper Brand Pet Bunk Bed

• Aquatic
  1. United Pet Group – Waterfall Globe Aquarium
  2. Timberline Live Pet Foods – Betta Bugs
  3. Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp. – Fluval Chi Glass Aquarium Kit

• Bird Products
  1. Kaytee/Super Pet –  Kaytee Nature’s Benefits
  2. A&E Cage Co. – Java Wood Table Top Stand

• Cat Products
  1. Lucky Litter LLC Dba Brilliant Pet – FroliCat™ SWAY™
  2. The OurPet’s Company – PlayNSqueak AT NIGHT Cat Toys
  3. The Green Pet Shop – Kat Pak

• Dog Products
  1. TechNiche International – Cooling Dog Coat
  2. All Four Paws – The Chill Collar
  3. Arms Reach Concepts – Co-Sleeper Brand Pet  Bunk Bed

• Miscellaneous Products
  1. Lixit Corporation – Poultry Food + Water Dish
  2. Jarden Animal Solutions – Outlaw Clipper

• Reptile Products
  1. United Pet Group – TetraFauna Viquarium
  2. Rolf C. Hagen (USA) Corp. – Exo-Terra Nano Glass Terrarium
  3. Zoo Med Labs, Inc. – ReptiBator

• Small-Animal Products
  1. JW Pet Company Inc. – PetVille Roll-A-Coaster
  2. Kaytee / Super Pet – Super Pet Critter Trail Habitat
  3. Kaytee / Super Pet – Super Pet Treat-Pet-Play

SuperZoo generated considerable media buzz in Las Vegas, attracting reporters from Las Vegas Review-Journal and all local broadcast affiliates, including ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. The show was also covered by national media outlets BBC America and TLC as well as key trade media within the pet industry.

For more information about SuperZoo, visit www.SuperZoo.org or call (800) 999-7295.

ABOUT THE WORLD PET ASSOCIATION

The World Pet Association (WPA), formerly the World Wide Pet Industry Association, is the oldest industry organization promoting responsible growth and development of the companion pet and related products and services.  As society’s “humanization” of pets grows stronger, WPA knows it is important to inform and educate the general public to ensure safe and healthy lifestyles for our animal friends. WPA plays host to America’s Family Pet Expo, the world’s largest pet and pet products expo, hosted annually in Costa Mesa, Calif., and beginning in July 2011 in Puyallup, Washington The organization also holds SuperZoo (www.superzoo.org), an annual pet industry trade show that showcases a comprehensive collection of exhibits and offers a variety of informative educational seminars known as SuperZoo University.  WPA also offers Pet Industry Briefs, a free weekly e-newsletter providing vital industry information at your fingertips. For more information on WPA or to sign up for Pet Industry Briefs, please visit www.worldpetassociation.org.

Grant requests are pouring into the Pet Care Trust offices for Pets in the Classroom (PIC) funding. PICprovides up to $150 per classroom for the purchase of small animals, birds, reptiles or fish, and products needed to keep them healthy and safe.

To date, the Trust has issued 791 Pets in the Classroom grants, totaling $101,250. With an average of 25 kids per classroom, the program has brought pets into the lives of 19,775 children! Some of these children may have no other regular contact with a pet except in their classroom. In many cases, it could be the beginning of a lifelong interest in pets and pet keeping.

The Pets in the Classroom program provides funding for a wide variety of pets, leaving it up to the teacher to select the pet that is most appropriate for her classroom. There have been a wide variety of funding requests, proving that many different species provide interesting classroom companions. PIC has funded the following classroom pet requests:

Aquariums— 313
Reptiles/Amphibians— 148
Small Animals (hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits)— 284
Birds— 46

To date, all funding for Pets in the Classroom has come from the Pet Care Trust endowment. As the program expands to reach more and more of the tens of thousands of elementary school classrooms across the country, we need direct financial support from the pet industry. You can support from one to one hundred classroom pets with your tax deductible contribution to the Pet Care Trust. Visit the Trust website today at www.petcaretrust.org.

Now that school is in and classrooms are organized, one thing that should be created is a log or journal for the classroom pet. This is an important tool in ensuring that your classroom pet receives consistent and proper care at all times. If the pet is cared for outside of the classroom during weekends or breaks, the pet’s journal should accompany the pet, and within the classroom it can be used to track the pet’s care.

Your classroom pet’s journal should include the following:

• Each pet’s name, birth date and where the pet came from
• A description of each pet – species, size, color, etc.
• A record of any vaccines or vet care received by the pet
• A checklist for the pet’s care, including instructions for cleaning, exercise and handling
• A detailed log of daily feeding – type of food and quantity
• Behavioral notes  – things the pet likes or dislikes, habits the pet displays
• Suggested handling techniques

Students can be responsible for tracking all of the information needed for your classroom pet’s care, and this journal can become a valuable resource for your pet’s care. As pets develop, new behaviors are observed, and discoveries are made, they can all be noted in the journal. Just as we leave detailed instructions for those who care for our pets at home when we are away, your classroom pet will benefit from this kind of up-to-date and detailed recordkeeping. If your rabbit prefers carrots over celery, your parakeet is afraid of loud noises, or your hamster sometimes hides in a mound of bedding, noting these things will let everyone know how to best care for your classroom pet.

Pets in the Classroom is an educational grant program designed to help teachers (K-6^th) who would like a classroom pet, or to assist those who presently have animals, in obtaining supplies needed to care for the pet. Our program offers grants of up to $150.00 for the purchase of small animals such as fish, hamsters, birds, as well as supplies. Classroom pets stimulate learning, and enrich the classroom experience, apply for your grant today!

At Pets in the Classroom, we recognize the fact that there are large numbers of unwanted pets in shelters and in the care of rescue groups across the country. Finding homes willing to adopt homeless pets is the desire of every rescue group; and although adoptions result in a happy life for some pets, that alone does not address the root of the problem. One of the most vital keys to dealing with the issue of homeless pets is education. As long as the attitude that “pets are disposable” exists, the number of discarded and unwanted pets will continue to grow, and shelters and rescue groups will struggle to place these pets in loving, “forever” homes.

Pets in the Classroom strongly encourages teachers to consider the lifelong needs of their classroom pets when selecting a pet for the classroom. Teachers should be prepared to care for their classroom pet year-round, and ensure that the pet is treated as a valued companion throughout its lifetime.  Pet professionals can help teachers understand the lifespan and care requirements for various types of classroom pets, allowing teachers to make an educated choice for their particular classroom.

One of the greatest lessons that pets can teach children is that of responsibility, which is so vital to success in life. Children learn that the pet depends on their care; and with the teacher’s supervision, kids will develop consistent habits and understand the role of pets in our lives through their daily pet care responsibilities.

Pets in the Classroom is dedicated to helping teachers keep their commitment to their classroom pet by offering sustaining grants to teachers with existing classroom pets.  With support from Pets in the Classroom, teachers can purchase food, supplies, and environments for their pets to keep them happy and healthy throughout their lifetime.

“Pets in the Classroom is is working to expose the next generation to animals by encouraging teachers and retailers to supply pets to classrooms all over the country.

For many in the industry, their love of pets started when they were young. They may have had a pet hamster or snake, or were in charge of feeding the fish in the household aquarium. These experiences inspired them to create a career and build their life around a love for living things. These memories are also what inspire people to become pet owners as adults.

But many children today aren’t given a chance to have those same experiences. Instead, video games, computers, iPods and cell phones have become kids’ constant companions.

This means that if the industry hopes to continue to thrive as it has thus far, it needs to actively cultivate the next generation of pet owners–and the Pets in the Classroom program, run by The Pet Care Trust, is aiming to do just that.

When school bells ring next month and kids return to their desks, more of them will be returning to classrooms with a bird, hamster, reptile or fish tank in the room, thanks to the Pets in the Classroom program. As of May, the program had already helped over 350 teachers add pets to their classrooms this year, and hopes to help 700 classrooms in total acquire pets by the end of 2010.

“America has a love affair with its pets, but there are many kids who have not had the opportunity to have a pet at home,” says Steve King, executive director of The Pet Care Trust. “So this program has potential to reach thousands of kids who, for whatever reason, can’t or don’t have a pet.”

The program also serves to expose students to different types of pets. Some may have cats or dogs at home, but have never had the chance to interact with reptiles or birds. The program allows teachers to choose the pet they feel will fit best into their classroom. King says there have been a number of lizards and snakes chosen, many small animals and even a handful of birds. One classroom, he says, even has a Mexican red-kneed tarantula.

Allowing students to interact with these animals teaches them to appreciate new species and to learn about the needs of these different pets. “It has been a pleasant surprise, as we’ve seen the requests come in, to see the wide variety of animals that teachers have selected for their classrooms,” says King.

The program works to educate teachers about responsible pet ownership and even provides them with lesson plans they can use that incorporate their classroom pet. The pets provide a doorway through which teachers can teach students about other parts of the world and the habitats found there.

Retailers are teachers’ natural allies in achieving these goals. Because the program reimburses teachers for the amount they spend on their classroom pet and the supplies it requires, the teachers’ first stop after receiving their certificate is the pet store. Once there, King says, “the biggest thing that we’d like to see would be a close relationship develop between the pet store itself and an individual classroom.”

Ideally, those pet stores would become resources for these teachers; a place they can turn with any individual questions about their chosen animals and its needs. King also suggests that retailers can offer to interact directly with the classroom by visiting with different types of animals so the kids can see, touch and learn about them, including those species that might not be appropriate choices as classroom pets. Or the class could come visit the store on a field trip to see the variety of animals available and learn a little about each of their habitats.

King says that many retailers have had similar programs on their own for years; the advantage to the Pets in the Classroom program is that teachers are reimbursed for their expenses.

Perhaps the simplest way for retailers to get involved, however, is to sponsor a classroom, either through the program or directly. Retailers can sponsor a classroom of 30 children for as little as $150 through the program’s website (www.petsintheclassroom.org).

Or, if they know of a classroom that needs support in order to have a classroom pet, King suggests they donate directly to that classroom. “Provide them with a certain amount of free equipment or the animals as a direct supporter or benefactor. It takes it outside of the specific Pets in the Classroom program, but it still fulfills that same basic goal of ours,”–which he emphasizes is the important thing–“to introduce pets in classrooms across the country.”

To read the the article in its entirety, please visit http://www.petbusiness.com/articles/2010-08-01/The-Next-Generation

(Resource: www.petbusiness.com)

Now is the time to “Get Your Grant On” to have a classroom pet! School is just around the corner, and Pets in the Classroom has grant money to help you have the classroom pet you’ve always wanted!

We know many school teachers have very limited resources for the support of classroom animals. That’s why the Pet Care Trust is sponsoring this program to help teachers support pets in the classroom through direct, no-hassle grants.

Just fill out the online grant application (there are two; one to have a new classroom pet, the sustainable grant to help with supplies for the classroom pet you already have). Email it to us, and if you qualify we will get back to you in 7 business days. You will receive a certificate stating the grant amount, when you purchase your pet or supplies, send back the receipts and certificate and we will reimburse you!

Only one grant per teacher is permitted. Teachers may re-apply for grant money each fall.

Pets can become depressed or bored when there’s nothing to do in their environment.  In the wild, different animals have different behaviors and activities aside from eating and sleeping.  Animals gather food, chew, make nests, exercise and explore.  Do some research on your classroom pet and what behaviors they might display in the wild, and then give them some help.  Before adding new elements to your pet’s environment, be sure it is safe, and recommended for your type of pet.  Also try adding one element at a time and make some observations to see if the pet is comfortable with it and seems to enjoy it.

If you have mice in your classroom, you’ll want to provide them with nesting materials, as recommended by a pet professional.  They also like to chew, so hard wood gnawing blocks or a dog’s nylon bone are safe things for mice to munch on.  You can also look for toys specially designed for your classroom pet.

Hamsters like to exercise and explore in their habitat.  Hamsters actually enjoy running on a treadmill (or exercise wheel).  They also love specially designed tubing, ladders, and shelves.  Most small mammals will enjoy a “house” in the form of a sleeping den, tube, hammock or pouch, depending on your pet.  Treats designed especially for mice and hamsters give them some variety and excitement as well.

Fish and reptiles appreciate items that add environmental interest and create a more natural habitat.  Rocks, plants and safe decorative branches, logs, and tunnels can add to the habitat.

Pets in the Classroom in an educational grant program designed for school teachers, K-Grade 6, in Canada and the US. Visit Pets in the Classroom for additional information.

(Toy shown above, the “Nut Knob Nibbler” is for guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice and other small pets, in addition to the fun, it helps keep teeth in shape).

Here is some additional information on Hermit crabs from Pets in the Classroom.

Hermit crabs can have different personalities, which is another great reason to have more than one crab in your classroom habitat.  Some will be more outgoing and curious than others.  To hold a hermit crab, put the crab in the palm of your hand and keep your palm flattened so the crab can’t grab onto it.  The warmth of your hand can encourage them to come out of their shell.  You can also mist the crab lightly with dechlorinized water, but don’t overdo it!

It’s interesting to watch crabs interact with each other.  Crabs can fight over shells, and you will know if things are escalating if you hear the crabs “chirping”.  Crabs will push and climb over each other, and wave their feelers at each other.

Crabs also like to choose their own shell to live in, so be sure that you provide them with choices as they grow.  Shells should be cleaned with boiling water before being put into the crab habitat.  Crabs don’t just change shells, and if you see your crab digging a lot, it might mean that he is ready to molt.  When the crab is ready to shed his skin, it’s important to have a special isolation tank ready so the newly molted crab is safe and sound.

Hermit crabs are fascinating pets and there is a lot to learn about these amazing little creatures.  http://hermit-crabs.com has a variety of informative articles on how to keep classroom hermit crabs thriving and providing learning opportunities for your students.

Go online and submit your grant application for a classroom pet.

Summer is a great time for teachers to research classroom pets in preparation for the students’ return to school in the fall.  Pets in the Classroom makes getting your grant easy, and you will have plenty of time to go out and find everything you need to make your pet’s classroom experience great for the pet and your students.

There are a wide variety of pets to choose from, all with different care and equipment requirements.  You’ll also need to think about what your students are capable of at their particular stage of development.  The classroom pet can help kids develop social skills and responsible, caring behaviors, but a classroom pet should be appropriate for your students’ age and abilities.

Pets have a wide variety of needs – a classroom rabbit will require a different type of care than a snake or a hermit crab.  Familiarize yourself with various pets’ behaviors, habitats, food and water requirements, exercise requirements and probable level of interaction with the kids.  Pets that are less interactive can provide great learning experiences through observing behaviors, as well as in creating and maintaining their specific habitats.

There are also endless ways to incorporate your new classroom pet into your curriculum and creating unique learning opportunities.  As you plan for your upcoming year, you may come up with some surprising ways to inspire your students through your new classroom pet.

We encourage you to explore the wonderful world of classroom pets, and find the pet that is perfect for your classroom! Visit us at www.petsintheclassroom.org

It is imperative that we all support our teachers and students the best we can. Here is a posting worth reading from Google Apps Blog.

“We recently announced that Oregon is the first state to begin offering Google Apps to public schools. Today, Colorado and Iowa are joining the movement. Google Apps for Education will now be available to more than 3,000 schools across the two states.

These state-wide agreements enable schools and districts to benefit from centralized resources such as deployment support and training materials, paving the way for an easy transition to Google Apps—including Gmail, Docs, Sites, Calendar, Video, and Groups—in their classrooms, immediately.

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter said it best, “I’m pleased to see the Statewide Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) continue its tradition of bringing innovative tools to members of the Colorado public. By leveraging the Internet, educators are able to bring new ways of learning to the classroom and connect with students in exciting and challenging ways.” And Brent Siegrist, Director of Iowa Area Education Agencies Services, reflects, “As a former teacher, I can see how these tools will engage students, make the classroom a more vibrant place and allow teachers to work together more collaboratively.”

Saving money is just one reason schools are moving to Apps. Educators and students from Jeff Co Public Schools, the largest school district in Colorado with more than 85,000 students, have been using Google Apps to help students collaborate and learn by working together. Teachers in Colorado and Iowa praise the “anytime, anywhere” availability of Google Apps. They’re using the unique online collaboration tools to teach feedback and revision strategies to students, and are even starting to go paperless on a number of assignments.

This week we’re also introducing a set of training solutions for schools to start making the most of Google Apps. We’re also extending the promotion for Google Message Security to allow primary and secondary schools opt-in to the email filtering service free until the end of this year.

If you’d like to learn more, come meet the Google Apps Education Team and some of the teachers using Google Apps in Colorado today, Monday June 28, through Wednesday at the annual ISTE conference. Stop by booth #2536 and take a seat in our teaching theater to learn more about what Google Apps can do for your school. Executive Directory of SIPA John Conley will join us at our Google Block Party after the conference today. We hope you’ll join us to learn more about Colorado’s decision to move to Google Apps.” (Reference: Google Apps Education Blog)

Pets in the Classroom has awarded over 350 grants to teachers for a pet or pet supplies so far this year! If you are a teacher, or know of a teacher who would benefit from our program please visit www.petsintheclassroom for additional information. We want all children to have the opportunity to help care for a classroom pet!