APPA: Supporting the Industry. Leading the Way.
As the pet industry’s leading association, APPA has worked to grow and support the industry in many ways beyond the direct services APPA provides its members and retailers through Global Pet Expo. Over the past six years we have supported the pet industry with an unprecedented $10,000,000. These contributions have driven and sustained significant programs designed to strengthen our industry, increase pet ownership, and build awareness of the joys and health benefits of pet ownership.
Here are some of the organizations APPA supports:
Human Animal Bond Research Institute
In 2010 APPA took the lead in uniting the industry to form a new organization dedicated to gathering, funding and sharing the scientific research that demonstrates the positive health impacts of animals on people. Since its inception, HABRI has served as a rallying point for a growing assembly of companies ranging from manufacturers, distributors and retailers to veterinarians and animal health organizations, all with the common goal of scientifically validating that pets are good for human health.
HABRI is a one-stop resource for scientific research and information on the human-animal bond with the most comprehensive online repository with more than 28,000 entries and growing. The foundation has also awarded two million in grants for new research showing the health benefits of pets.
Pets Add Life
APPA’s Pets Add Life program was started in 2005 as a public service announcement effort and has since grown into a highly impactful social media campaign garnering hundreds of thousands of followers, millions of impressions, and has become one of the leading voices for promoting pet adoption and responsible pet ownership. Through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, active and engaged PAL fans and followers are able to help spread our message to millions of their peers.
In an effort to encourage and increase pet ownership, PAL promotes the joys and benefits of pets through a video campaign that includes the wildly successful talking animal videos, which have now reached over 75 million views. Future videos will focus on pet owners’ stories and the amazing impact their pets have made on their lives.
Most recently, PAL has focused its energy on reaching the newest generation of pet owners, Millennials, by expanding into growing platforms popular among this generation like Vine, Instagram and BuzzFeed.
Pet Care Trust
APPA has long been a sponsor of the Pet Care Trust whose mission is to promote public understanding of the joys and benefits of pets through education, support, and interaction, primarily through the Pets in the Classroom grant program.
To date, Pets in the Classroom has issued over 56,600 grants to teachers, and nearly 2 million children have experienced the joys and benefits of pet care since the program’s inception.
With a goal of introducing 5 million children in 100,000 classrooms to pets and the benefits they provide, the Pet Care Trust is hoping to help teachers impact future generations of pet owners through its grant program.
Pet Leadership Council
The Pet Leadership Council was formed in 2013 with the mission to: promote and celebrate responsible pet ownership; protect the rights of pet owners; ensure a sustainable supply of pets; foster industry commitment to animal care and breeding standards; and support well founded and meaningful regulatory and legislative initiatives regarding household pets.
As a unifying, proactive voice for the industry, the PLC members represent manufacturers, distributors, retailers, veterinarians and breeders — all of whom passionately and enthusiastically serve the cause of pet ownership and seek to improve the quality of life for pets and owners alike.
By engaging the appropriate resources, the PLC responds to current issues like increasing the incidence of pet ownership and addressing nationwide pet sale bans, while also identifying and addressing future industry needs.
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council
APPA has long been a supporter of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council to help the organization in its important function of monitoring live animal issues. Understanding the critical nature of legislation affecting pets, APPA also lends support through its Washington D.C. based law firm Dentons US LLP in addition to its government affairs department which monitors product legislation.
Protect Pet Choice
The Protect Pet Choice Alliance is a group of pet industry organizations and companies whose mission is to promote and celebrate responsible pet ownership, protect the rights of pet owners, ensure a sustainable supply of pets, foster industry commitment to animal care and breeding standards, and support well founded and meaningful regulatory and legislative initiatives regarding household pets.
APPA is committed to continuing to support the organizations and individuals working to protect and grow the industry.
