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Press Press Releases 2004 The Gift of Pre-Paid Insurance Provides Pets and Pet Owners Valuable Protection Oakville , ON - September 27th 2004. Pethealth Inc. (“Pethealth” or “The Company”) (TSX-V: PTZ) , owner of the ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program for newly adopted pets, is pleased to announce that more than 400,000 dogs and cats have now been enrolled in the program. Sue Neuman of Port St. Lucie , Florida , was the lucky 400,000th person to enroll her new cat, Tyler , in the ShelterCare program. She adopted Tyler, a 3-year-old Maine Coon from the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast Inc., a week after her 14-year-old Maine Coon passed away early in August 2004. She is now enjoying the companionship of Tyler . To celebrate this milestone, Pethealth will be providing Ms. Neuman and Tyler with a $500 shopping spree at a PETCO store . The ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program was introduced in January 2002 and is one of several pet insurance programs offered by Pethealth, a leading North American provider of pet health insurance. Enrollments in the ShelterCare program now average 23,000 adopted dogs and cats per month. More importantly, more than $2.5-million in claims has been paid under the ShelterCare Program since its inception. ShelterCare, which covers 11 named perils, is available to every dog and cat adopted from a Petfinder.com member shelter or breed placement group in 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and all 10 Canadian provinces. The first 30 days of ShelterCare coverage is pre-paid by Petfinder.com, North America 's largest searchable database for adoptable pets. There is no cost to the shelter to offer the program or to the new pet owner to enroll. To receive their ShelterCare gift, new adopters need only call 1-866-375-PETS, or go online to www.ShelterCare.com to activate the ShelterCare policy. Enrollment must take place within 10 days of the adoption date. “While the success of ShelterCare is no surprise, we are delighted by the immeasurable impact it has had not only on shelters and placement groups and their pets but also on the lives of the families adopting pets,” says Betsy Saul , Petfinder.com founder and Chief Executive Officer. “ Anything we do to strengthen the bond between pets and people is saving lives -- lives of pets and their people.” Mark Warren , CEO of Pethealth Inc., says that he is delighted with the outstanding response from shelters to the ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program. He attributes the success to the fact that the program enables shelters to re-direct their limited financial resources elsewhere in the shelter rather than having to use them to cover unexpected veterinary fees post-adoption or provide 30-day health guarantees. "People often return their newly adopted pets to the shelter due to post-adoption illnesses or accidents that occur as the animal adjusts to its new home. The ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program tackles this issue by providing shelters and responsible pet owners with a way to better manage the financial costs associated with their pets' health care." This release coincides with the American Humane's Conference 2004 being held in Philadelphia , PA this week. About Pethealth Founded in February 1998, Pethealth, the second largest provider of pet insurance in North America, is currently offering its PetCare pet insurance programs in 10 provinces, 47 states and Washington , D.C. In addition to the PetCare Pet Insurance Programs, Pethealth offers its pet insurance programs under a variety of names, including QuickCare Pet Insurance Programs, ShelterCare and Union Plus Pet Insurance. As of June 30 th 2004, Pethealth's paid policies in force exceeded 125,000 . Additionally, the company on behalf of its underwriters has paid out over $19 million in claims. PetCare Pet Insurance Programs are underwritten by Lincoln General Insurance Company and administered by PetCare Insurance Brokers Ltd. and PetCare Insurance Agency, Ltd. Coverage is available in all states other than AK, MN and MA. PetCare is a trademark of PETCO Animal Supplies, Inc. and is used with permission. PetCare Pet Insurance Programs are underwritten by ING Novex Insurance Company of Canada and Kingsway General Insurance Company. The PetCare programs are available in all ten provinces. In Quebec , they are distributed through P. Morin Coutier en assurances Inc. In addition, Pethealth, through its wholly owned subsidiaries Pethealth Services Inc. and Pethealth Services (USA) Inc., is a leading provider of companion animal microchip technology and related pet recovery and database managed services . Pethealth operates this under the trade name 24PetWatch. Pethealth is based in Oakville , Ontario . To find out more about Pethealth Inc. (TSX-V:PTZ), visit the website at www.pethealthinc.com. About Petfinder.com Petfinder.com, founded in 1995, is the largest searchable database of adoptable pets on the Web. It facilitated over a million adoptions in 2002. At Petfinder.com visitors can currently "meet" over 130,000 adoptable pets from over 6,300 animal shelters and rescue groups across the U.S. and Canada . The site also has a resource library and message boards to help educate new adopters about pet health, behavior and care. Petfinder.com has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to ensure that visitors and member shelters have access to advice from the top pet experts. Support from sponsors such as the Ralston Purina Company, PETCO Animal Supplies Inc., BISSELL, Inc., Merial and Pethealth Inc. ensures that the site remains free to both shelters and rescue groups as well as to potential adopters. Forbes Magazine named Petfinder.com one of the 300 Best of the Web, and Family PC ranks it as one of the 100 best family sites. Statements contained in this news release, if not historical, are forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in forward-looking statements. For further information, please contact: |
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