OAKVILLE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 30, 2012) - Pethealth Inc. ("Pethealth" or the "Company") (TSX:PTZ) is pleased to announce the publication of its aggregate survey findings on new pet parents who adopted a dog or cat during the 13 month period between March 2011 and March 2012. The 2012 Adopter Survey Special Report ("Special Report") represents the largest of its kind conducted by the Company to date with surveys received by over 235,000 adopters across North America, and over 6,400 surveys completed. It is also the first time the Company has published its adopter survey results; the survey was conducted during April 2012.
The purpose of the survey was (a) to determine the differences, if any, in the purchasing habits of respondents who adopted their new pet in a shelter's own facility versus a satellite location inside a PetSmart® or Petco® store; (b) to determine if the shelter pet food programs, dominated by Hill's® and Purina®, which feature the distribution of free bags of food to new adopters created loyalty amongst adopters for those brands; and, (c) to determine the degree to which pet adopters purchase pet supplies and pet pharmacy items online and the impact of rising gas prices on those online purchasing habits.
The survey was made possible through the Company's position as the leading aggregator of pet adopter and animal welfare organisation ("AWO") data. Data is aggregated through the Company's cloud-based animal management application PetPoint, now licensed by over 1,830 AWOs in the United States and Canada. In 2011 alone, over 2.25-million animal intakes and 890,000 pet adoptions were completed by AWOs licensing PetPoint. The Company already issues the 'PetPoint Report', published on the third Monday of each month, showing national trends in cat and dog adoption.
For the Special Report, only adoptions completed in the United States were included. Adopting pet parents were drawn from seven data sets:
| (i) | Those that had adopted between March 2011 and March 2012 from a PetPoint licensed AWO that also conducts adoptions in a PetSmart (exclusively) location(s) but where the adoption was completed in the shelter's own facility; |
| (ii) | Those that had adopted from the same AWO but where the adoption was completed in their satellite location inside a PetSmart store; |
| (iii) | Those that had adopted between March 2011 and March 2012 from a PetPoint licensed AWO that also conducts adoptions in Petco (exclusively) location(s) but where the adoption was completed in the shelter's own facility; |
| (iv) | Those that had adopted from that same shelter but where the adoption was completed at the satellite location in a Petco store; |
| (v) | Those that had adopted between March 2011 and March 2012 from a PetPoint licensed AWO that conducts adoptions in both Petco and PetSmart stores but where the adoption was completed in their own shelter. |
| (vi) | Those that had adopted from the same PetPoint licensed AWO but where the adoption was completed in a PetSmart store. |
| (vii) | Those that had adopted from the same PetPoint licensed AWO but where the adoption was completed in a Petco store. |
The demographic profile of respondents was; 81% female; over 61% of respondents under the age of 50; nearly 55% indicating they had a university degree or a post-graduate degree; 86% indicating they were either employed or retired; and 46% indicating household income of $60,000 or greater.
"With adoption now considered the primary mode of new pet acquisition and with trends showing that adoption as a percentage of new pet acquisition will continue to increase, we believe public companies or those with plans to go public that sell goods and services to the companion animal industry will have their valuations based at least in part on the size of their 'footprint' in animal welfare," said Mark Warren, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pethealth. "Therefore, we believe these survey results to be highly relevant in light of trends favouring adoption and the increasing amount of attention that national brands and retailers are giving to animal welfare."
The aggregated results of the 2012 Adopter Survey Special Report can be found by visiting www.petpoint.com. The survey has been published free of charge. For those wishing to have the survey results segmented by the seven surveyed groups (data sets), these can be purchased by contacting the Company at 1-877-738-4584, ext. 236.
About Pethealth Inc.
Pethealth is a leading provider of companion animal services in North America. In addition, the Company is the leading provider of management software to North American animal welfare organisations through its cloud-based application and the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names including PetCare, 24PetWatch, Pet Protect, Petpals Direct, ShelterCare, PetPoint, Petango.com and ThePetangoStore.com.
The Company is also recognised as the most reliable source for aggregated animal welfare organization and adopted pet owner data. Its PetPoint Reports, published on the third Monday of each month, offer year over year insights into national adoption trends and are available at www.petpoint.com/reportspage.
Pethealth is based in Oakville, Ontario. To find out more about Pethealth, visit the website at www.pethealthinc.com.
Contact Information:
Mark Warren
President and Chief Executive Officer
(905) 842-2615
Pethealth Inc.
Glen Tennison
Chief Financial Officer
(905) 842-2615
Pethealth Inc.
Amanda Zaharchuk
Manager, Corporate Communications
(905) 842-2615
www.pethealthinc.com