Leading online e-commerce company Quidsi, Inc. officially launched its new Wag.com pet site today.

The latest member of the family that includes Diapers.com, Soap.com and BeautyBar.com., features more than 10,000 mass and specialty products including premium pet food brands, toys, treats, vitamins, pet health  products, a "Pampered Pet Boutique" with  critter couture and more for good old dogs and cats to fish and small exotic pets.

"Seventy-three million American households count pets as family members, yet only a small portion of those households are ordering pet products online," said the company's CEO Marc Lore. "Since we launched Diapers.com in 2005, our customers have been asking for a site for the other 'baby' in the family. Today, we are thrilled to include Wag.com in our family of sites committed to world-class customer service, fantastic selection and lightning-fast shipping."

Wag.com features shipping within one to two days with free shipping for orders over $49, and no surcharges for heavy or bulky items.

Welcome,Wag.com, and good luck.

Photo courtesy of Quidsi, Inc.

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Canadian Pet Connection (CPC), which I featured in a Pet Shop Spotlight, will host a Pet Industry Networking Night (PINN) on Monday, July 11 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at the retailer's 361 Cornwall Road location in Oakville, Ontario.

The event is free, and will also include refreshments.

Brandon Forder, who owns the two CPC stores along with his dad, Lorne, came up with the idea for this event to help those in the regional pet industry to build mutually beneficial relationships.

"Essentially, what I'm trying to accomplish with PINN is to create, develop and strengthen relationships with local pet industry business professionals," including other pet entrepreneurs; veterinarians; pet walkers/sitters; boarders; pet photographers; groomers; pet shelters; social media specialists; and others.

Brandon added: "I have attended several business networking sessions/groups and have found that my target audience is relatively limited. With an industry exclusive get together like PINN, all of the attending industry professionals have the same target customer (pet owners), yet we all offer different services."

Brandon is a very sharp guy who has a vast amount of knowledge about the proper way to run a pet business. So I am sure this will be an invaluable event for others in the pet industry.

For more information, you may e-mail Brandon at brandon@canadianpetconnection.com, or call (905) 815-0320.

Photo courtesy of Canadian Pet Connection

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South Jersey artist Samm Wehman loves animals so much that she donates 50 percent of the proceeds from sales of her artwork to homeless pets.

That's not all that unusual. However, her main medium is. The soon-to-be Rutgers University senior, who just turned 21, is a duct tape artist!

Samm, who majors in animal science, has been an artist since she was 2 years old. She dabbled in a variety of media through the years, including car hubcaps, canvas and duct tape.

She got the inspiration for using duct tape to launch a business, Samm's Custom Duct Tape Designs, to benefit animals while strolling through the hardware section of a local Wal-Mart with her boyfriend not long ago.

She now creates decorative flowers, wallets, key chains and such for sale on etsy.com.

Although she is probably best known for her duct tape designs - because this is so unique - she also paints commissioned pet portraits on such novel media as seashells, as well as other media.

She is currently raising funds to donate to the Lindenwold Animal Shelter, a no-kill organization in South Jersey.

Meanwhile, Samm's mom, Andrea Segal-Wehman, organizes "Chicks for Charity" concerts featuring Samm's singer/songwriter aunt, Benita Segal, where she auction's off her daughter's artwork for animals.

The next one takes place on Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at the Auction House Center for the Arts, 100 W. Merchant St., Audubon,  N.J., during which the artist plans to auction off her artwork and donate 100 percent of the proceeds to the Lindenwold shelter.

"Art is my hobby, but animals are my passion, which is why I try to use something I'm good at as a tool to help them out, since they don't have their own voice to speak out," said Samm, who is mom to a special needs springer spaniel, a dachshund, three leopard geckos, a salamander, two white tree frogs and six fire bellied toads.

Not surprisingly, Samm, who currently works at the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, N.J., (one of three summer jobs she holds) hopes to make a career out of helping animals someday, by possibly working with wildlife.

Good luck, Samm. Pet Shops salutes you.

Photos courtesy of Samm Wehman

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Here's wishing those in the pet industry, pet lovers and pets a happy, fun, safe Independence Day Weekend.

May freedom (and cash registers, for those holding holiday sales) ring for all of you!

Photo courtesy of Purestock/Getty Images

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