Summit Presentation Synopsis Series #1

We're excited about the remarkable people who will be featured speakers at this year's National Summit for Urban Animal Strategies! And we want to share our enthusiasm with delegates!

This is the first in a series on "Summit Presentation Synopses" to give you a "sneak peak" at some of the intriguing topics that will be covered and the various presenters.

The Year of the Cat Initiative
Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien

According to the Vietnamese calender, 2008 was technically the Year of the Rat. But that didn't stop Jim Sykes, CEO of the Hamilton Burlington SPCA and his team from designating it "The Year of the Cat" in his community.

The purpose of the campaign was multi-fold:

• to make citizens realize the nation-wide severity of the cat overpopulation problem and the degree of the problem within their own community;
• to educate people about the various misconceptions about the cat -- the most misunderstood, yet popular of all domesticated pets; and
• to encourage the various appropriate team leaders in the community to work together, including the HBSPCA, Hamilton Animal Control, veterinarians and rescue groups.

"All of the community leaders needed to step up to the plate and become part of the solution," explains O'Brien. "It was intended to create a ripple effect. A wave of problem awareness and joint community solutions, which would continue once the year was over."

Dr. O'Brien's presentation is designed to explain the various initiatives that took place during the year-long promotion, to encourage other communities to duplicate its success.

"Looking to the future," adds Dr. O'Brien, "the actual 'Year of the Cat' according to the Vietnamese calendar is 2011. I hope that this presentation will encourage other communities -- or better yet, national organizations -- to take political license and create a North American Year of the Cat for 2001!"

Dr. Elizabeth O'Brien is one of only four board certified feline specialists in Canada. She is a member of various feline organizations and is the chair of the Feline Advisory Committee for the Hamilton Burlington SPCA.

2009 North American Urban Animal Survey (NAUAS)

You have questions. We will have answers!

• Does the average pet guardian think a spayed or neutered pet makes a better behaved pet?
• Do they think that mandatory pet licensing is just a "cash grab" for their city?
• If a pet guardian gets a prescription for their pet, how many follow through with proper administration of the drug?
• When buying pet food, is price the deciding factor?
• How has the economy impacted attitudes about pet care?
  

These and dozens of other important questions will be addressed in the 2009 North American Urban Animal Survey (NAUAS) being conducted in September. The results will be presented at the National Summit for Urban Animal Strategies to be held at the Chateau Lake Louise, Alberta, in mid-October.

The Responsible Pet Owner Segmentation Survey is the third of its kind to be conducted by Calgary-based PetLynx Corporation on behalf of its many industry partners.

"The cumulative answers to these questions will enable us to better understand 'the big picture' of important issues affecting pet guardians and the pet care industry in North America," explains David Webb, research consultant with dmrkynetec, the leading global supplier of market research to the agriculture, animal health and nutrition industries. "When we have a better concept of 'the big picture' we can develop broad-based strategies to address the big problems."

Webb adds that the methodology used in this "segmentation analysis" will divide the overall cat- and dog-owning population to four or five basic typologies. This will help us better understand their underlying motivations and beliefs with regard to pet care. With this information, we can be better equipped to deliver targeted and powerful responsible pet ownership messages.

"In the past, the companion animal industry as a whole has been forced to make important financial and legislative decisions based on common beliefs and internal statistics, not sound research," adds Petlynx Corporation's President, Larry Evans. "Big industry players, like pet food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies, may have been in a position to fund their own research. But those of us at the front lines... the animal control centres, shelters, small retailers and veterinarians have been limited to our own internal data resources, which may not tell the whole story."

"Because this research is being conducted on a collaborative basis across Canada and the United States," concludes Webb, "it is a cost-efficient and affordable means of providing all facets of the pet industry -- from large corporations, to municipalities, to small service providers -- with a wealth of information that would otherwise be totally out of reach for them."

If you are interested in participating as a subscriber to the Responsible Pet Owner Segmentation Survey you must act now! Click here for details on how to sign on as a subscriber.

Regina Summit Attracts Prairie Leaders

The sunny, warm weather of Regina in June favoured those attending the second annual Prairie Regional Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. Hotel Saskatchewan is a heritage site in this provincial capital and its central location provided easy access for those attending the event on Monday, 15 June 2009. This was the first Regional Summit to be staged in the late afternoon/early evening and the change seemed to work for those who needed the extra travel time.

Delegates from Saskatoon, Prince Albert, Regina and several smaller centres across the Canadian prairies represented the animal welfare, animal control & enforcement, animal health & wellness and animal service sectors of the industry. The Prairie Summit was planned and delivered in collaboration with the Regina Humane Society. The event was co-sponsored by Procter & Gamble Total Petcare, Securican General Insurance and PetLynx Corporation.

The presentation of the 2008 Urban Animal Survey on the business of urban animals stimulated a great deal of discussion. Among the items collected during Session One were the following:
* Evidence shows we need to identify and alter animals prior to their first homing event
* Reproducing spay/neuter report showing gender would be interesting
* Tracking call centre and online assist events separately would be interesting
* Another important source of pets are the 'used.com' sites


Session Two provided a stimulating discussion of cats and a feline friendly community. It was obvious to these delegates that we need a more collaborative and integrated approach to messaging in our communities. It was noted that cats are perfect reproduction machines that have a tremendous ability to adapt to environment and conditions. The media may also be responsible for attitudes towards cats since cats are often presented in a negative way while dogs are presented more postively. Collecting feral data may be problematic when the general public has so little understanding of the feral cat or the feral cat environment.

One of the most interesting discussions was in the area of how to increase the value of cats in the community. Several useful ideas came forward in the area of 'working cats': rodent control in businesses, office cats and cats in social programs like seniors, special needs, prisons, remand centres and juvenile offenders.

The discussion as to why cats lack value in our communities focussed on education and awareness but in the end delegates suggested that the fact that it is socially acceptable to under-value cats just like it used to be socially acceptable to drink and drive is very telling. Finally the ability cats have to reproduce in large numbers also contributes to lower values because the supply outstrips demand.


Louise Yates, President of Regina Humane Society moderated the 2009 Prairie Regional Summit with a very capable and confident approach. She also introduced the 'table scramble' to ensure that delegates moved to other tables before dinner and made themselves acquainted with other industry colleagues. It is always gratifying to see these new relationships being formed and supported across the geography and sectors of the industry.


It was great to see old friends like Linda Gubbe of SCAT in Saskatoon and to make new friends like Francis Wach of Saskatchewan SPCA, Karen Harasen of the Saskatchewan Veterinary Medical Assocation and Pat Vogt, President of People for Animals of Saskatchewan who brought input from their groups.

A decision on how to alternate the Prairie Region Summit between centres was not made, however, it was suggested that the Summit be moved between Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba on a three year rotation. The next Prairie Regional Summit is set for the week of 19 April 2010.