First-of-Its-Kind Pet Industry Partnership Unites Two Leading Names in Premium In-Home Pet Services to Better Assure the Health, Happiness and Overall Well-Being of the U.S. Dog Population
BERKELEY, CA and ENGLEWOOD, CO--(// Marketwire // - December 4, 2007) - Two leaders in pet services, FETCH! Pet Care (www.fetchpetcare.com), America's largest and most sophisticated pet care franchise offering professional pet sitting and dog walking services, and Bark Busters Home Dog Training (www.BarkBusters.com), the world's largest and most trusted dog training company, today announced they have entered into a first-of-its-kind joint marketing agreement within the pet industry, uniting the two largest home-based pet services providers in the country. The alliance leverages the expertise and national reach of both pet services organizations to promote their industry leading, in-home services and champion responsible pet ownership.
Under the Agreement, each company will promote the other's offerings to their respective customer bases. The companies plan to bundle packages that combine both the exercise and behavioral needs of dogs through regular in-home pet sitting and dog walking services accompanied by dog training services. To introduce the partnership, both companies are now promoting a special holiday offering, with participating locations, of $50 off Bark Busters gold training package and $20-$40 off FETCH! Pet Care regular services for new clients through January 31, 2008.
"This alliance brings together two companies that share a common vision: to enhance the relationship owners have with their pets and to provide the industry-leading services consumers want right in the comfort, safety and convenience of their homes," says Liam Crowe, CEO of Bark Busters USA. "Our services are very complementary. A well-trained, exercised and cared for dog is healthier, happier and more manageable for its owner. By combining our services, pets can be even better companions."
FETCH! Pet Care provides pet owners with peace of mind while they are away from their pets. The company offers a wide range of services that cater to pet owners' specific needs and budget, including private leashed and group off-leash dog outings, overnight sitting and daily cat and small pet visits in the client's home, boarding and daycare in the sitter's home, pet taxiing, Go FETCH! four-legged fitness, yard pet waste removal, and miscellaneous home care.
Helping families enjoy their pets is at the core of Bark Busters training approach. Developed in Australia, Bark Busters natural techniques leverage the same communications methods -- body language and voice control -- that dogs follow as part of their instinctual pack mentality. Bark Busters dog-friendly training takes place in the home and is effective with any behavior issue with any dog, any age -- including puppies. The Bark Busters dog training techniques, designed to enhance the human-canine bond, have been used to train more dogs than any other training method in the world.
"Surveys show that at-home pet services are preferable to pet owners for the convenience, safety and overall well-being of their pets, and that owners are increasingly spending more on their pets," notes Paul Mann, founder and CEO of FETCH! Pet Care. "Consumer demand for premium at-home pet service is at an all-time high, and this partnership responds to that demand in a highly compelling fashion that's unlike anything else in today's marketplace."
Demand indeed. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturing Association (APPMA), approximately 63% of U.S. households, or 71 million homes, now own at least one pet, up from 64 million just five years ago. The result? Americans now spend a whopping $41 billion on pets -- "more than the gross domestic product of all but 64 countries in the world" according to reports -- with annual spending expected to hit $52 billion in the next two years, according to consumer research company Packaged Facts.
Consumers and interested business affiliates can reach FETCH! Pet Care through its Web site at www.FetchPetCare.com or via toll-free telephone at 1-866-FETCH-ME, where they simply enter their 5-digit zip code to be quickly connected to the FETCH! Pet Care office nearest them.
Consumers and interested business affiliates can reach Bark Busters through its Web site at www.BarkBusters.com or toll-free at 1-877-500-BARK (2275).
About Bark Busters
Bark Busters, the world's largest and most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United States in 2000. Since inception, nearly 400,000 dogs have been trained worldwide using its dog-friendly, natural methods. With 240+ franchised offices in 41 states and more than 400 offices in 10 countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioral therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers a written lifetime guarantee. Therapists will provide future sessions free of charge if problem behaviors recur, or if any new problems develop. For more information, call 1-877-500-BARK (2275) or visit www.BarkBusters.com, where dog owners can complete a Dog Behavioral Quiz to rate their dogs' behavior.
About FETCH! Pet Care, Inc.
Founded in 2002 and with over 1,400 service areas across the United States, FETCH! Pet Care is the pet sitting industry market leader -- the new face of pet care in the 21st century. The company offers a humane alternative to kennel boarding by providing loving, in-home overnight and/or daily care to any kind of pet in the most professional and reliable manner possible. FETCH! Pet Care's carefully selected, screened and trained pet sitters and dog walkers, who are all pet owners themselves, have serviced over 10,000 clients this past year alone. The company has been featured in Small Business Opportunities magazine's top 20 "Boom Businesses" to get into in 2007, named among Pet Product News International's "25 to Watch in 2007" and included in Entrepreneur magazine's coveted Franchise 500 list in January 2007 and in its "7 Hot Businesses That Can Make You Rich" feature in September 2007. For franchise information or to find a location near you, visit the company's Web site at www.FetchPetCare.com or call the corporate office at 1-866-FETCH-ME.
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