pet connection

The annual gathering of Western Automotive Journalists and automotive public relations professionals usually stirs up some exciting news about what’s on the horizon for four-wheel enthusiasts.

And this year’s just completed conclave in Monterrey, California, also brought some interesting insight for lovers of our four-legged friends when Honda’s West Coast PR guru Chris Martin confirmed that the Japanese manufacturer was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Honda Element was named as the first-ever DogCar of the Year “Best in Show” last December.

The wonderfully versatile Honda Element features a squarish cargo space, fold-flat seats and easy-to-clean interior that all add up to the perfect combination for owners of multiple big dogs who take their canine traveling very seriously.

After the award was announced, Honda’s marketing department sprung into action by creating an advertising campaign geared specifically for the dog-loving car buyer. They’ve even included the DogCars.com logo on their Element website to power home the point.

During a lunch break in the Carmel Valley, Martin said the powers that be are happy to be a top pick among dog lovers, and that they are always looking for ways to respond to specific markets.

“Automakers are always targeting niche markets, like young buyers, sports lovers or even surfers or skiers, where there’s a huge demand for a very specific vehicle,” Martin said.

One wonders if perhaps Honda is considering a U.S. launch of the “Wow”, short for “Wonderful Open-Hearted Wagon” (pictured above), concept car that was introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show. Martin said that while the Japanese loved the little car with a small dog crate built into the glove box, the concept never got off the drawing board for U.S. distribution.

Stay tuned . . .

The annual gathering of Western Automotive Journalists and automotive public relations professionals usually stirs up some exciting news about what’s on the horizon for four-wheel enthusiasts.

And this year’s just completed conclave in Monterrey, California, also brought some interesting news for lovers of our four-legged friends when Honda’s West Coast PR guru Chris Martin hinted that the Japanese manufacturers may have more DogCar news in store in the not-so-distant future.

You’ll recall that Honda has already gained DogCar fame by being honored as the first-ever DogCar of the Year “Best In Show” for its wonderfully versatile Honda Element. The squarish cargo space, fold-flat seats and easy-to-clean interior all add up to the perfect combination for owners of multiple big dogs who take their canine traveling very seriously.

After the award was announced, Honda’s marketing department sprung into action by creating an advertising campaign geared specifically for the dog-loving car buyer. They’ve even included the DogCars.com logo on their Element website to power home the point.

During a lunch break in the Carmel Valley, Martin said the powers that be are very excited about the U.S. DogCar market and may be planning some additional enhancements to the Honda lineup that will make canine lovers sit up and take notice.

One wonders if perhaps Honda is considering a U.S. launch of the “Wow” (short for “Wonderful Open-Hearted Wagon”) concept car that was introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show. Martin said that while the Japanese loved the little car with a small dog crate built into the glove box, the concept never got off the drawing board for U.S. distribution.

“Automakers are always targeting niche markets, like young buyers, sports lovers or even surfers or skiers, where there’s a huge demand for a very specific vehicle,” Martin said. “So creating a vehicle for dog owners only makes sense.”

Like a bloodhound hot on the trail of its target, Honda appears to be zeroing in on the needs, wants and desires of the dog lover. Stay tuned . . .

(Crossposted from the DogCars.com blog.)

You don’t really need an alarm clock when you have pets.

This morning I’m working at home — on the Web sites, blogs, columns, books and some leftover “day job” stuff I brought home with me — so I wanted to get an early start. Set the alarm for 5:30, but it hadn’t gone off when the pets started wishing me good morningdemanding breakfast. There’d been a power outage during the night and the clock radio was blinking midnight. Looked at the cell phone: 5:35 a.m.

Man, they’re good!

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Otter is doing great back home on the ranch in Texas, no doubt thrilling her “country mouse” sister Luna with tales of Big City Sacramento. The last few months couldn’t have been better for socializing a puppy to sounds, since the small acreage behind me had been leased for a construction staging site for a sewer and water line project. It was hell for those of us who lived with non-stop heavy equipment, noise and dust (not to mention two break-in attempts on my house!) but what a good situation for a puppy. Mary got back a friendly, loving, outgoing “teenaged” dog who doesn’t even flinch when a backhoe fires up 10 feet away.

Even better for those of us who prefer peace and quiet, the project is over, the street repaved (that heavy equipment sure chews up pavement) and our quiet country lane in the city is pretty much back to normal. Good thing, too, because I thought the two sisters living next door — very sensitive, they are — were going to have to be institutionalized if the project went on much longer.

And today … Ilario the kitten arrives! I sure hope the Empress Clara (pictured at the top, looking Empressy) enjoys her new little brother. At right is Tom, pictured today with Ilario a/k/a Larry. Tom says, “At least one of us combed his hair.”

Final personal pet news: Looks like I’ve scored four young and already laying Aruacuna hens! Can’t wait for fresh eggs and new challenges.

Side story about my neighbors, the two sisters, with regards to the chickens: The sisters are vegans. That’s fine, of course, but I mentioned to them a few months ago that I was getting chickens and that since they have a massive vegetable garden they might want a couple of chickens, too. (Raising a couple extra baby chicks for them would have been no big deal.) Chickens are great at garden pest-control and especially love tomato worms. Plus …  garden compost!

“Oh no!” they said. “We’re vegans! We don’t eat anything that was alive.”

Um, aren’t plants alive? Hmmmm. Yeah, I know what they mean. Anyway, I explained I wasn’t planning a meat operation, and that my chickens would be pets. Besides, without a rooster, the eggs wouldn’t ever have been alive or even potentially alive, by any stretch of the imagination. Basic biology, no? Male + female = babies.

“Oh no!” they said. “You don’t need a rooster to get baby chickens. Those eggs are alive! We just couldn’t eat chicken babies in their shells! We’re vegans!”

Uh, OK then!

By the way, they have dogs and cats, and feed them Costco’s Kirkland kibble. (I know this, because they asked me about it during the recalls.) I’m pretty sure that’s not a vegan product. Don’t know how they square that in their heads. But then, I haven’t seen a whole lot of evidence that there’s much up in their heads anyway — nice people and good neighbors though they truly are — so maybe it’s not a problem for them, if they just don’t think about it.

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I’ll be adding as I can throughout the day, but if you find news items of interest, please add them to the comments.

Update 4/25: As mentioned by many of you, Evanger’s has now put a statement on their Web site:

Contrary to a news release issued by the FDA Thursday, April 24, 2008, Evanger’s continues to make and distribute its products with FDA approval. Evanger’s is working closely with the FDA and already has addressed many of the FDA’s questions. Evanger’s expects to have the few remaining FDA queries fully satisfied shortly.

No Evanger’s product has been recalled, nor is there any indication that any Evanger’s product is under-processed, unsafe, or contaminated in any way.

Here’s the rest.

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News release just in from the FDA:

Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Orders Pet Food Maker to Obtain Emergency Operating Permit

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an order requiring that Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Co., Inc., in Wheeling, Ill., obtain an emergency permit from the FDA before its canned pet food products enter interstate commerce.

A recent inspection revealed significant deviations from prescribed documentation of processes, equipment, and recordkeeping in the production of the company’s thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. These problems could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium that causes botulism in some animals as well as in humans.

“As outlined in the Food Protection Plan, the FDA uses a risk-based approach to locate the areas of greatest risk for foods, and targets preventive controls and inspections to those areas, “ said Dr. Stephen Sundlof, director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The FDA’s authority to issue an order requiring an emergency permit is an enforcement tool designed to prevent unsafe foods from reaching consumers.”

The FDA issues an “Order of Need for Emergency Permit” if the agency determines that a company fails to meet the regulatory requirements to process a product that does not present a health risk. For Evanger’s to resume business, the company must document that corrective actions and processing procedures have been implemented to ensure that the finished product will not present a health hazard.

Botulism is a powerful toxin that affects the nervous system and can be fatal. The disease has been documented in dogs and cats. Signs of botulism in animals are progressive muscle paralysis, disturbed vision, difficulty in chewing and swallowing, and progressive weakness to the body. Death is usually due to paralysis of the heart or the muscles used in breathing.

In light of human botulism illnesses and recalls that occurred due to under-processed hot dog chili sauce, and potentially under-processed canned green beans, FDA has urged all LACF processors to review their operations and the apply scientific principals and regulations that have been established to provide a safe product.

While FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine has authority over animal feed and foods, CFSAN is responsible for regulating all human and animal LACF processing. The two centers are collaborating on this enforcement action.

I was shocked to get a press release from the FDA that started out with these words (emphasis mine, but the missing period is theirs):

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a final regulation barring certain cattle materials from all animal feed, including pet food. The final rule further protects animals and consumers against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”)

Can you imagine them even thinking about, let alone mentioning, pet food before the pet food recall? In the very first sentence, even.

The rest of the release was the usual kind of thing… blah blah, risk of BSE in the United States incredibly low, in fact, so low it’s amazing we’re wasting your time doing this, and please don’t look at the man behind the curtain fact that we actually prohibit farmers from testing their livestock for BSE in the first place, but honestly we care about you and your pets just not as much as agribusiness.

The entire release is under the jump. (more…)