As the cooler weather draws in, many dog owners will be noticing an increase in hair being shed around the home as dogs shed their lighter summer coat to make way for their protective winter coat.

Take the opportunity over the next few weeks to educate your consumers on this, helping them to be prepared and maximising your sales opportunities.

Here are some top tips from FURminator on how you can do this:

• Consider dedicating some in-store space to the issue during this key shedding season. Some consumers may not be aware that this is a problem however this presence in store will help alert them to the upcoming issue and perhaps prompt a spontaneous purchase. It will also make shopping easy and efficient for the prepared customer, who is specifically visiting your store for shedding solutions.

• Prepare some educational material. This doesn’t have to be overly detailed or extensive, just some top tips on how consumers (especially first time dog owners) can help to prevent /reduce shedding, including any recommended products. This will help the customer to feel supported by your store and prompt them to purchase the listed products.

• Make the most of brands that can provide educational display and POS material. This can provide a quick and easy way to dedicate some in-store space to shedding and help to support relevant products in store. FURminator for example can provide an in-store video which demonstrates how to use the deShedding tool, showcasing how easy it is to use and the impressive results that can be achieved.

Designed by a professional groomer, the FURminator deShedding tool is the number one choice when it comes to preventing pets from shedding around the home. With regular use, nine out of ten dog owners confirmed that they found less pet hair in the living area* with clothes, sofas, carpets, etc. remaining free from unsightly loose hair, so you can feel confident in recommending this product to your customers.

Regular use of the FURminator deShedding tool reduces the amount of shedding in pets and improves the appearance of the coat, with 91% of dog owners confirming improved fur quality after just four weeks*. The high-quality stainless steel edge can be used to quickly and effectively remove the undercoat and loose hair from the fur without cutting or damaging your dog’s delicate skin or top coat.

RRP from £27.50

For more information please visit furminator.net or email info@furminator.co.uk

FURminator products are stocked in Pets at Home, Jolley’s, CDS, The Range and Pets Corner.

“I’m still working in TV and will have a programme on Polar Bears appearing soon but I am now focusing most of my time on my new venture - Dr. Krill Ltd,” says Trude.

“At PATS Telford I will be launching a unique product called Krill Bar, the first in a line of Krill-based products which help to heal bad skin and joints.”

Trude now lives in Oslo, Norway, with her fiancé and four children, and runs a veterinary practice there.

Her most widely recognised television roles were in the BBC Vet School in 1996, and later in the follow-up series Vets in Practice (1997-2002), though she went on to present a variety of wildlife programmes.

Trude will be on the Dr Krill stand at PATS (E3) throughout the show.

“I’m looking forward to coming back to Telford again. The last time I was there I was filming with the BBC - some ferrets I think,” adds Trude.

The impressive number of entries to the Showcase is a positive sign that PATS exhibitors are really excited about their latest products and can’t wait to show them to visiting retailers and buyers.

All the products entered into the Showcase will be judged by a panel of independent pet retailers on the first day of the show, and the winners of each category will be announced at lunchtime.

“It’s great to see so many exhibitors putting their new products forward,” said organiser Annie Foord. “Speaking to visitors, we know that a lot of them head to the Showcase first. They can see all the latest items in one place, and once they’ve seen what they like, they then head off to the stand of the manufacturer or supplier of that product to discuss it in more detail.”

There are seven categories in the New Product Showcase – cat, dog accessory, dog food or treat, bird, small animal, pet care, and grooming – and past winners admit that winning an award can certainly increase the profile of the items to the trade.

Irish company Christies Global have won an award at three consecutive PATS shows and their marketing manager Lindy Harper knows the importance of such an accolade. “Christies Global has always prided itself in bringing innovative products to the grooming market and these awards recognise this work,” said Lindy. “Given the high standard of competition in the market, we feel truly honoured to have won three consecutive awards.”

Supa Ltd are another company to recognise the prestige of a New Product Award, having won one with their stylish Gloucester range of bird feeders at PATS a year ago. “The award has certainly focused attention on Supa and has led to some new listings with current customers and also the opening of some new accounts who have wanted to stock this new and dynamic range,” said managing director Chris Goodlad.

The Showcase is designed to help visitors to find easily the latest and most exciting products to hit the pet trade, as they are gathered together in one, extensive display. There is an information card beside each product, giving details such as suggested retail price and where in the show you’ll find the item’s exhibitor.

With so many new products on show and more than 180 exhibitors attending PATS Telford this year, the exhibition is set to draw an equally impressive amount of visitors.

The organisers have also secured a strong line-up of speakers for two days of seminars designed to give pet retailers ahead-of-the-game ideas on new lines, new approaches and new profit potential.

Visitors will also be able to witness demonstrations from the country’s leading dog groomers.

Other PATS features aimed at making it a great day out include free entry, free catalogue, free tea and coffee, and free parking. Visitors still have time to register online at the PATS website www.patshow.co.uk.

A full and up-to-date list of exhibitors is available on the website together with information on how to reach both venues and regularly updated show news.

Opening times

• Sunday, 27^th September, 2015: 9.00am-5.00pm
• Monday, 28^th September, 2015: 9.00am-4.00pm

Award-winning Manchester pet store Betty & Butch has launched Dog Coat Butter and already it's flying off the shelves. General manager Angel Moore says: "Keeping the product range fresh is a good way to retain customers and attract new ones.

“We are all trying to create a point of difference, a reason why the customer should come to us rather than go elsewhere, and we are facing increasing competition from the big retailers who have big budgets, so we have to dig deep to find innovative and engaging products.

“We have just launched an amazing Dog Coat Butter and it's flying off the shelves. I am astonished at how popular it is, but then I remind myself that our customers still want to buy genuine products from a genuine retailer.

“It’s a natural product, of course, and by using a blend of Coconut oil, Shea butter, Hemp oil, Lavender and Rosemary, the butter produces a fantastic ‘just groomed’ finish our customers are delighted with.

“I firmly believe in the service and authentic product range that independent pet stores are offering but we must keep looking for ways to differentiate from the large outlets and keep battling for our place on the high street.

“We’ve said it before, but producing interesting and quirky events is a great way to raise your profile, push specific products and get your customers engaged and spending. We have a packed diary until the end of the year and the feedback we are getting is very, very positive.”

“So, more shops, more products and fabulous events. That’s Betty & Butch sorted for the next six months.”

More information about this PetQuip UK Retailer of the Year 2014 can be found at www.bettyandbutch.co.uk

The Pet Press Event will take place at The Barbican Exhibition Hall, London on Thursday July 7th 2016.

Media Events director Guy Burtenshaw explains what prompted the creation of the new event: "Following on from the success of the Garden Press Event, now in its 11th year, we were approached by PetQuip to set up a similar event for the benefit of the pet care industry”.

The pet industry is an exciting and innovative sector with Britons’ spending on pets surpassing £4.6bn for the first time in 2015, as animal lovers lavish money on toys, treats and grooming and spoil their cuddly critters with quality diets, beauty treatments, exercise regimes and designer outfits. Total spending on pet care in the UK has grown 25 per cent since 2010. Source: Euromonitor

The aim of the event is to connect pet related suppliers and manufacturers with the most influential journalists and media professionals from the national press and the biggest magazine titles plus TV, radio and on-line media.

Addressing suppliers and manufacturers, Mr Burtenshaw said: “This brand new event is the best opportunity to showcase your range and to launch new products; face to face contact is worth a thousand press releases. Also, the timing allows companies to generate media attention in the run-up to the important Christmas buying season."

He added: "The exclusive media audience spans writers, journalists and media professionals from the major pet magazines, as well as national and local press, TV and radio journalists and producers, bloggers and website writers. It is the best chance to meet and impress the media and promote your company and products to them."

Director of PetQuip, Amanda Sizer Barrett MBE, endorsed Guy’s view of the huge benefits of participating in the Pet Press Event for suppliers and the media: “The event is an excellent cost-effective route for suppliers to achieve excellent publicity in the leading media and for journalists to discover the industry’s exciting product launches, pet care innovations, industry trends and news stories face-to-face. PetQuip is delighted to be working in partnership with Media Events to deliver this opportunity for our industry and our member companies, who will also benefit from discounted stand rates at the event.”

To put your products and innovations in front of the most influential media professionals from the pet care sector in the UK, contact Guy on 01243 860600 or email guy@media-events.biz

The 80 new product lines are dominated by the Loktop Bird feeders that generated fantastic feedback during their initial trials and now Petface are expecting the same enthusiasm from their customers.

“We recognise this is an enormous market, supplied by some large and established players so we didn’t want to rush in. We had to get this right," said Adam.

“Our philosophy is to make ‘Wild Bird’ more appealing; not only for the experienced consumer, but also for the new younger market who already have pets but want to understand more about bird feeding and have the budget.

"We’ve taken a 'fresh look' approach to the bird category that we believe is interesting, easy for consumers to navigate, and looks incredible when merchandised."

The LokTop feeders have a unique system that locks the lid closed. This ensures that the feed stays dryer and fresher by keeping the elements out. It also deters ‘unwanted visitors’ from opening and stealing the feed and, should the feeder become dislodged and fall to the floor, the lid will stay closed.

The LokTop system locks the lid closed when the wire hanger is rotated to the up-right position or is folded to the front of the feeder. When the hanger is folded to the back the lid can easily be pushed open for filling.

The all important aspect of feeder hygiene is taken care of with no fuss, tool free disassembly. The feeder is held together using a single stainless steel central pin. Once this is unscrewed all the main components can be separated for cleaning.

Other key benefits are…

• Large capacity feed tubes-fewer visits to keep the feeder topped up.
• Pole mounting socket in the base.

www.petface.com

Marketing manager Emily Cannon comments: “We’ve seen a huge rise in sales over recent months from garden centres that have invested in specialist in-store pet sections.

"Our figures, and feedback from garden retailers we’ve already developed strong working relationships with, suggest that consumer interest in, and demand for, high quality natural pet foods is at an all-time high.

"It felt like the perfect time to exhibit at Glee. It’s still relatively new territory for us and the show was a great opportunity to understand the needs of buyers and garden retailers."

On show were Natures Menu’s new naturally nutritious Country Hunter pouches for dogs and cats which are grain free and made with ethically sourced human grade meats and wholesome ingredients,There were single protein dog pouches, made with 80% real meat and wholesome fruit and veg, and 96% real meat cat pouches.

The research, conducted by Ceva Animal Health manufacturer of ADAPTILand FELIWAY, has highlighted the worrying effects of fireworks on pets. 

These include 50% of those questioned stating that their pet trembles and shakes while fireworks are going off, over 60% whose pet hides away, 34% whose pet clings to its owner and 23% that try to run away.  Despite the traumatic effects, over a quarter of people do not put preparations in place during the firework season to help manage firework fears.

With this in mind, Ceva Animal Health has launched a plethora of marketing materials to help educate customers on the preparations that should be put in place during the firework season.  These include leaflets, leaflet holders, posters, and shelf wobblers.  Ceva has also prepared a series of social media posts for retailers to use on Twitter and Facebook.

Moreover, Ceva will be launching a major new national TV advertising campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of ADAPTIL during the firework season.  The advertisement focuses on the real life story of Mark, Katie and their working Cocker Spaniel Finley, which is scared of both fireworks and thunderstorms, and the positive effects experienced by Finley with ADAPTIL use while fireworks are going off.

The new 30-second advertisement, which is aimed at ABC1 women, will air from 1st October and will be featured on ITV1, Channel 4, digital channels including E4, Film4, ITV2, ITV3 and ITVBe and London Live.

For further information on Ceva’s fireworks campaign email customerservicesuk@ceva.com or contact your wholesaler.

• Fully machine washable
• Absorbent
• All grip no slip
• Car Seat Protection
• Comfortable

Happy Paws is all about making pets' and people's lives safer, healthier and happier…and this new range does just that!

At PATS Telford the company is offering a 10% discount on all orders over £100 placed at the show. This means retailers will be getting up to a 95% margin on products that really add value to their customers and their dogs! You can meet the brother and sister team (Tim and Sophia) on stand E9.

What are they and what’s different about them?


The GoSafely range is a follow-on product from the multi-Award Winning Easy-Tie, incorporating its Easy-Secure functionality into a premium quality, highly reflective, padded lead with matching collar and harness set. The strong bungee design of the lead ensures tension is reduced on both the dogs and owners’ neck, which can be caused when dogs pull. On top of this, it reduces the force exerted on the owners’ elbow and back. The matching collars and harnesses incorporate premium padding, highly reflective webbing and are fully adjustable, ensuring maximum ease, safety and comfort.

The AquaTech range is a 100% waterproof lead, collar and harness set. Using innovative technology, water is repelled from the webbing with benefits including; no more damp-smelling leads/collars/harnesses; no more irritation to dogs; less risk of infection caused by excessive scratching; less risk of skin conditions caused by wet collars and harnesses; easy wipe clean; and no running colours, meaning the items stay attractively bright! This preventative and innovative brand means that dogs are at far lesser risk from developing skin conditions that are caused by wet collars and harnesses.

The GoSafely and AquaTech sets have very attractive recommended retail prices ranging from £5.49 - £14.99 and HUGE margins (95% at PATS Telford).

You can visit the Happy Paws team on stand E9, Hall 1 at PATS Telford, or call them on 01792 346226 or send an email to info@happy-paws.net. www.happy-paws.net

The leading bird food brand is calling on garden centres to host the Go Wild With Peckish campaign, which encourages families to unplug from their digital devices for a day and take part in fun bird related activities. Research shows the average young adult packs a staggering 14 hours of media consumption into 9 hours of the day by ‘media multi-tasking*’.

Each garden centres that signs up to the Go Wild With Peckish campaign will be added to the Peckish website postcode tracker www.peckishbirdfood.com/gowild which signposts families to their closest location to take part in the event.

Garden centres hosting the ‘Go Wild With Peckish’ events will be given an activity pack, which includes guidance on holding activities to increase footfall, such as fun bird feeder and energy ball making sessions, and a bird spotting activity where giant cut out bird characters guide customers around the store. Goodie bags, including money-off coupons will also be provided for garden centres to issue to participants. The trade website will also include copies of downloadable items, guidance and other resources.

Wendy French, Senior Marketing Manager for Peckish, said: “Garden centres taking part get a real boost from increased footfall and customer participation in activities and giveaways. Plus, we encourage a future generation to take time out of their technology filled lives to develop a passion for feeding the birds.

“Last year we had an overwhelming response, over 100 garden centres up and down the UK and Ireland took part in this event. To ensure you have extra customers flying through the door this half-term, sign up for the event at http://trade.gardenhealth.com or email joingowild@gardenhealth.com."

Helen Swan asked staff at Best Friends Vet in Broad Street, Dagenham, to leave her moggy’s corpse for her after she was put down.

But the 60-year-old was devastated to hear that it was too late to get Britney back after a “communication error” meant she was cremated by mistake.

“I knew she was unwell so I took her to the vet and they said she wasn’t going to make it,” said Helen, of Oval Road South, Dagenham. “The lady asked if I wanted them to cremate her and I clearly said no, I want to deal with her myself, with my son, because it’s his cat too.”

Helen said she wanted to arrange for the feline to be sent off to a different crematorium where she felt the process would be handled more personally and she would be able to keep the ashes.

But the mum-of-one wasn’t able to arrange the procedure straight away so left the cat with the vet in the meantime.

“When I phoned and said I wanted to collect her body a woman on the phone told me it was too late,” she said. “I couldn’t grasp it for a minute. They told me there had been a massive communication error and the cat had been cremated.

“I was beyond upset and was screaming down the phone. They just ripped 14-and-a-half years from me like that.

“I cut a bit of fur off her in the vets and that’s all I’ve got left of her now. I wanted to keep her ashes with her dad’s but they’ve taken her away from me.

“I’ll never get another cat now, I love animals but I can’t go through this again. They’ve ripped something away from me.”

Kelly Smyth, the southern regional manager at Best Friends Vet, said they have offered to pay for a memorial of Helen’s choice.

“We were extremely saddened to have learnt of this matter, [which was] the result of a breakdown in communication,” she added.

Aled Owen won the Supreme Championship at the International Sheepdog Trials for the fourth time at Meikleholm, near Moffat in Dumfries & Galloway.

This time Aled shared the honour with his Border Collie Llangwm Cap with whom he had also just won the Welsh National Sheepdog Trials 2015 in August at Abergavenny.

Aled and his dogs have an impeccable pedigree in the sheepdog world…..Aled being a double World Sheepdog Champion (winning in 2002 and 2008) and winning the International Supreme Championship in 1999 with Roy, 2000 with Bob and 2007 with Roy…and now for an incredible fourth time with a different dog in 2015.

As if working and trialling his own dogs wasn’t enough, Aled is passing his wealth of expertise and experience on to others by judging competitions plus holding training clinics and tutorials at home and abroad, including America, all over Europe and Scandinavia and provides AI services from his dogs worldwide.

CSJ are also proud to congratulate Kevin Evans on winning the Driving Championship.

For more information about Aled Owen and Kevin Evans visit www.csjk9.com and for Aled Owen www.aled-owen-sheepdogs.co.uk

Pictured: Aled Owen and Llangwm Cap at Welsh National Sheepdog Trials 2015.

The Sulcata tortoises were taken from the Lincoln Reptile and Pet Centre and shop owners fear the culprits plan on selling the animals, which are worth £150 each, privately at a knocked down price.

CCTV footage of the incident has been handed over to police, who are now investigating the crime, and owners are urging members of the public with information to come forward.

Wendy Dickinson, co-owner of the shop, says she was very disappointed when she found out the animals had been taken.

She said: "I was very disappointed when I found out someone had stolen from us.

"It is a small, family-run business - we have worked very hard.

"These are not just regular tortoises either as they require a special enclosure and special feed.

"If they are not taken care of they will die.

"We are very concerned about their well-being and want anyone who might know anything to come forward."

Also known as the African spurred tortoise, the tortoises are one of the biggest species on earth.

Each tortoise can weigh up to 43 kilos and grow up to 656 mm when fully grown.

These tortoises are a native of the Sahara Desert and the Sahel in Africa.

To get to areas with higher moisture, Sulcata tortoises dig burrows which may reach up to 10 feet below the ground.

If you have any information contact the shop on 01522 523630 or call the police.