Dr Roger Mugford, from the Company of Animals has received his second Lifetime Achievement Award within six months, this time picking up the accolade at the PetQuip Awards on Sunday. In March the honour was bestowed on him by the World Pet Association.

Roger said at a special PetQuip Awards party at Telford International Centre: ““I was gobsmacked. I was sitting with my friends enjoying a wonderful evening and then the Lifetime Achievement was announced. Everyone on the team had managed to keep it a secret. I was astonished and delighted. It’s a great honour to be recognised in this way.”

As Britain’s leading animal psychologist and a pioneer in behavioural therapy, Dr. Mugford’s career has led him to train the Queen’s corgis and speak on behalf of animal welfare in courts across the world. 

Dr. Mugford is a prolific author, educator and animal welfare advocate. In 1979 he founded The Animal Behaviour Centre in Surrey, a referral service for veterinary surgeons and their clients with problem pets. More than 80,000 pets have benefitted from the Centre’s services to date.

That same year, he founded The Company of Animals brand where he invented and developed a range of products that have revolutionized the way people train their pets. The HALTI head collar and Pet Corrector® auditory training tool are among his exemplary products frequently copied by competitors but unmatched in quality or effectiveness.

Dr. Mugford is also a Dogs for the Disabled patron, Cancer & Bio-detection Dogs Trustee and 2005’s Blue Cross Welfare Award recipient.  Proud to maintain a link with his Devonshire farming heritage, he resides at Ruxbury Farm where he personally cares for a herd of 70 purebred South Devon cattle, 100 sheep, horses, llamas and of course dogs!

The PetQuip Awards 2015 – Winners

Supplier of the Year

• Gold – Denes
• Silver – Scruffs
• Highley Commended (HC) – Mutneys

Wholesaler/Distributor of the Year

• Gold – Pedigree Wholesale
• Silver – Peregrine Livefoods

Exporter of the Year

• Gold – Pet Rebellion
• Silver – Beco Pets
• HC - Group 55 and Tasty Bone

Marketing Campaign of the Year

• Gold – Beco Pets
• Silver – Sureflap
• HC – Hownd and Pet Food UK

Pet Product Innovation of the Year

• Gold – Sureflap (Microchip Pet Feeder)
• Silver – Pet Munchies (range of natural pet treats)
• HC – Collarways (Stay Over Rover) and Nutriment (natural food for smaller dogs)

International Retailer/Wholesaler-Distributor of the Year

• Gold – Whesco, Denmark
• Silver – Eye 4 Pets, The Netherlands

UK Retailers of the Year

• Joint Gold – Wags & Whiskers Pet Boutique, Stockton on Tees and The Pet Place, Bents Garden Centre, Warrington
• Silver – Pets Korner, Stamford

Lifetime Achievement

• Dr Roger Mugford

Forthglade has been making high quality natural dog and cat food for over 40 years. Based in Devon, the business develops its own recipes using a combination of nutritionally balanced ingredients with added vitamins and minerals that contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Forthglade produces its range from its own manufacturing facility and is one of the most affordable premium brands on the market. It was an early pioneer in providing grain-free products alongside its core range of natural foods and at least 95 per cent of Forthglade ingredients are sourced in the UK, many as locally as possible.

While consumers have become increasingly aware that their pets deserve to be fed as well as themselves, Forthglade’s philosophy has always been: ‘If you’re not prepared to eat it yourself, don’t feed it to your pets.’

Gerard Lovell, Joint Managing Director of Forthglade, said: "Although we were approached by other potential investors, Piper demonstrated the value it will bring to our brand and has already had a significant impact on the business. It was this, combined with the team’s undeniable passion for creating brand legends, that set Piper apart from other investors."

“The Forthglade business has come a long way over the last five years.  As a company we’ve invested heavily to support the growth of the business. These investments along with the dedication from our team, and the support from the trade, have enabled Forthglade to flourish.  We’re thrilled that the Piper team share our vision for the future,” explains Lovell.

Libby Gibson, a Partner at Piper, said: ‘We approached Forthglade having seen how passionately customers and, most importantly their pets, responded to its products. We believe there is a significant market opportunity to develop Forthglade into a household name and become the leading natural pet food brand for happy and healthy pets."

As part of the deal, food industry veteran Peter Farquhar, previously chairman of Dorset Cereals and Clipper Tea, has joined Forthglade as chairman.

Having previously been held as far afield as Tokyo, Barcelona and Monaco, this year the Pentawards ceremony took place at RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) in London. The award was collected by Pooch & Mutt’s founder, Guy Blaskey, who also did the packaging design. Pooch & Mutt was the only finalist in any of the award categories whose design was not created by a leading specialist packaging design agency.

Guy Blaskey commented: “The awards ceremony was quite an intimidating place to be. There were many awards handed out on the night, but relatively few recipients. The same big agencies, with world-wide reputations and offices, were winning most of the awards.

"The people in the audience were some very big names in the packaging design world… people who have designed some of the most iconic packs that we all use each and every day. Just to have Pooch & Mutt’s products included in the short list was an incredible achievement.

"The fact that we got silver is mind blowing!! As well as being the only non-design agency person in the room, I was probably the only person in the room that cared as much about what goes in the pack, as how the pack looks. Great design can get people to buy a product once, what’s in the pack needs to be as good, so that they buy it again. The quality of the product is what has really driven Pooch & Mutt’s tremendous growth over the last few years.”

All of the winners from the night including Pooch & Mutt’s treats will be published in ‘The Packaging Design Book 4’, the best of international packaging. This will be published by Taschen, the world-leader in amazing-looking books, and will be release in the autumn of 2016. Until then you can see all of the winners on the Pentawards website.

To find out more about the Pooch & Mutt treats visit www.poochandmutt.com

The pet trade has given the event a massive thumbs-up with exhibitors and visitors agreeing it has been one of the best ever staged.

Retailers from both the UK and overseas filled the venue to create a surge of activity over two days of business.

The show took on a real international presence with buyers travelling from all around the globe. Mainland Europe was well represented and there were also visitors from Australia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

The mood amongst visitors was summed up by Sandra Sharpe, of Pets Korner in Stamford, Lincolnshire, who said: “We love the venue and the layout of the show. PATS is very important to us because it’s the place to find new products that help us to stay ahead of the competition.”

Steve Charman, co-owner of Pets Corner, flew straight in from China to make sure he could get to see the show. He commented: “I always find a visit to PATS uplifting and the move to Telford seems to have taken the show on to the next level. The layout is fantastic, making it easy for visitors to get around. There is a fantastic buzz about the exhibition hall, and it makes me feel happy to be a part of an industry that produces so many good and innovative products.”

And Gina Wilden, of HG Gladwell & Sons Ltd, commented: “I have been here for two days and there has been so much to see. The venue makes getting round easy. There has been a great atmosphere in the halls.”

The number of overseas visitors has elevated the show on an international scale, and one of the busiest areas at the show was the International Buyers’ Lounge hosted by PetQuip.

Amanda Sizer Barrett MBE, director general of PetQuip, said: “There’s been a tremendous amount of interest from our overseas buyers. We know from their feedback that they are finding products that are very different from elsewhere. PATS is a very exciting place for them to be.”

Exhibitors were quick to give their approval of the Telford venue.

Robert Nicklas of VIP Engravers said after day one: “We’ve just experienced our best-ever day at a trade show. It has been fantastic. There were lots of new faces and the quality of the visitors to our stand was of a high standard.”

Tim Darmanin, the Australian owner of K9 Dogwash, said: “Compared to shows we have in Australia this one is pretty good! The venue, the layout and the access have been great and we particularly love that everyone is so friendly and easy-going. The organization is at least as good as any of the major international shows I have been to, including Interzoo in Germany and Superzoo in Vegas – I am very impressed!”

Adam Dodkins of Tricktreat was at PATS for the very first time and admitted he didn’t know what to expect. “I’ve been very impressed and it has definitely been worth my while. It all runs very smoothly and the visitors know why they are here – to do business. I’ll be back at the next one in Sandown!”

One of the biggest attractions at the show was the New Product Showcase and Awards. And those companies who entered their new products were eager to report that people had visited their stand after spotting an item in the Showcase.

Wagner’s Premium Pet Products won the Best Cat Product Award for their Cat Igloo and Thomas Dreessen said: “We are really honoured to get this prize. I didn’t ever dream that we would win. Obviously we really like this product or we would not sell it – but to get an award for best cat product is really such an honour.”

“We are really enjoyed it here. Everyone was very friendly and the venuewas good. It is our first time here in England and we have had a really good reception. We are hoping to do a lot of business here!”

Organiser Annie Foord said: “We love running this show for the pet industry so it is fantastic to hear that exhibitors and visitors have experienced a brilliant show. It’s great to hear so many positive comments about our new venue.”

Trude Mostue, star of the BBC hit programmes Vet School and Vets in Practice, had a successful launch of her KrillBar at PATS...

"I decided to launch it in the UK first of all - but I am aiming to launch in the USA and Asia too," said Trude.

"I am actually selling the KrillBar through Pets At Home and Barkers already (It's on a trial in Pets At Home), although PATS was the official launch of the KrillBra in the UK. In my opinion it is the best place to launch a pet product in the UK - and it has certainly given the product a lot of good and professional exposure.

"I have been working on the KrillBar for the last two years but I have treated most of my dog patients with skin complaints and joint complaints with Krill Omega 3 for 10 years. The effects have been incredible. There are so many allergic dogs with skin problems - they have all done remarkable well on Krill. This is what triggered my idea of producing the KrillBar - which is very different from any other product on the market, being a highly efficient Omega 3 supplement and treat - in the form of a 'chocolate' bar."

The KrillBar is a treat and a supplement. It can be given with the dog's food or on its own, and can be used as a treatment and as a preventative supplement.

Pet company PitPat set tails wagging at PATS Telford with the launch of its new product PitPat, the activity monitor for dogs. It was so impressive it was crowned Best Dog Accessory Product.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, PitPat is a wearable device that easily attaches to any dog's collar and allows owners to see what activity their dog has been up to via their phone. Aiming to help tackle the growing pet obesity epidemic in the UK, the product also provides an excellent opportunity for pet retailers to tap into the high demand for wearable technology.

Small, lightweight and waterproof, PitPat continuously measures how active a dog is throughout the day and syncs with a free iOS or Android app. The app, then provides a breakdown of how much walking, running, playing and resting they've been doing and compares this to an exercise goal tailored to a dog's breed, age and weight.

Over time, owners can track progress to help keep their dog healthy and happy. The product allows owners to review how active their dog has been and offers added peace of mind for when they’re not around. Whether that’s checking up on how much exercise their dog got while they were in kennels, or how many minutes they walked with the dog walker that day.

PitPat CEO Andy Nowell comments: “Wearable technology is a huge trend that’s beginning to transfer into the pet market and we’re extremely excited to launch PitPat at PATS Telford. For retailers this is a great opportunity to tap into the growing consumer demand for pet-tech products.”

“With over half of dogs overweight in the UK, we want to give owners a fun and engaging way to keep their dog active. We also designed the product to deliver a host of unique selling points such as its one year battery life, as well as a highly competitive retail price of £39.99.”

For details about orders contact the PitPat team or Pedigree Wholesale, and to learn more about the product visit www.pitpatpet.com

“We feel that receiving Highly Commended twice is a real coup for Stay Over Rover,” states Katie Goldsmith, Collarways Director.

"Two separate judging panels could see the gap in the market for the product and with the high level of competition we are delighted to have received both accolades.”

This innovative new product is the ideal way of organising the multitude of accessories that dog owners now have in one handy receptacle. The 360 degree swivel hook at the top means that the bag can be hung open in a variety of places – the car, in hotels and bathrooms, on the outside of a crate and most importantly out of the reach of the dog.   Multiple zipped compartments ensure that items such as treats, medication and liquids can be secured away from each other and there’s even a special opening for easy poo bag dispensing.  Even when the bag is full it will still close for easy carrying and storage and it also comes with a shoulder strap for effortless transportation.

Ideal for so many situations other than just travelling with your dog the Stay Over Rover is a great way of keeping everything in one place at home and in the car too. Manufactured in the UK.

www.collarways.com 0845 4568395

“It was an easy venue to park and set-up at so all-in-all it’s been a great experience.”