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Press Press Releases 2007
Oakville , ON – October 22, 2007. (TSX: PTZ) Pethealth Inc. (“Pethealth” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its plans to launch PawsConnect.com, a unique social networking site aimed at both enhancing and empowering the lives of pet owners by providing them with new and innovative ways to interact and learn more about the best way to care for their dogs and cats. “We see the launch of PawsConnect.com as a natural progression in the build-out of our business model,” said Mark Warren, President and Chief Executive Officer of Pethealth. “Pethealth’s ability to leverage the strategic value of social networking sites by linking together our existing databases, at limited or no incremental cost, is unique in this market.” Initially, membership to the PawsConnect.com site will be driven principally off of the Company’s 24PetWatch microchip database, which currently exceeds 1.3-million registered dogs and cats and is growing currently by approximately 50,000 pets per month. In Phase II, registrations and membership will be driven not only by 24PetWatch, but also through word of mouth created from a marketing and branding program to be announced later this year. Unlike virtually all other online communities which require registrants to create their own profile, most pet owners registering with PawsConnect.com will find their profile and pet pages already populated for them if their information and the information on their pet has been registered in 24PetWatch’s existing database. More unique still is that, if the pet owner has adopted a dog or cat from one of the nearly 750 animal welfare organisations now running the Company’s PetPoint animal management application, the pet owner’s prepopulated profile may also include photographs of that same pet. The Company has up to three photos of approximately one in four adopted pets leaving shelters running PetPoint. This unique platform will allow pet owners to begin participating in the PawsConnect.com community with a simple password and user ID. As social networking sites are becoming the individual’s “home page”, they are encroaching on the territory of traditional portals that currently pull most of the online advertising revenue. PawsConnect.com will not only allow pet owners the opportunity to connect with potentially millions of likeminded pet owners, but will also allow Pethealth to immediately deliver specific brands to particular pet owners, based on their demographics and the information of their pets. Added Warren: “Recent commentary has suggested that advertisers are no longer interested in paying simply for page views and time spent on sites, but rather are looking to have specific demographics delivered to them. We, through having the most widely used animal management application in the animal welfare industry in PetPoint tied to 24PetWatch, the most robust microchip and pet registry network, are able to directly connect this data to our social networking site in a way which will not only be unique, exciting and informative for pet owners, but also in a way that will allow national brands and retailers advertising on the site to generate better returns on each advertising dollar spent.” The Company intends to go live with PawsConnect.com on or about November 15, 2007. About Pethealth Founded in 1999, Pethealth is the second largest provider of pet insurance to pet owners in North America, 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, ShelterCare, CherryBlue, 24PetWatch, PetPoint, and PawsConnect. Pethealth has been named one of Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies in Profit’s 100 Ranking for the last three years. Pethealth is based in Oakville, Ontario. To find out more about Pethealth, visit the website at www.pethealthinc.com. The TSX Exchange Inc. has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Investor Relations Contacts: Mark Warren , President and Chief Executive Officer Martha Durdin
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