Auxiliary puts Pet Power into National Pet Week

Published on
information-circle This article is more than 3 years old
 

"Pet Power" is the theme chosen by the Auxiliary to the AVMA for National Pet Week 2007, held May 6-12.

"We all know the love, healing, contentment, trust, and power that our pets give to us. Let's use this theme as a reminder to put our priorities in order," said Maureen Wilson, vice president for public relations at the Auxiliary. "Know where happiness lies, where peace is, and strive to find that balance for ourselves and our pets. The power of love is remarkable."

National Pet Week is an annual event that promotes responsible pet ownership, celebrates the human-animal bond, and promotes public awareness of veterinary medicine. The event was jointly founded in 1981 by the AVMA and the Auxiliary, and is now widely celebrated throughout the United States and other parts of the world. Along with the Auxiliary, the AVMA continues to support the event.

To promote pet week and the "Pet Power" theme, the Auxiliary held its annual poster contest and creative writing contest.

In the poster contest, Hayley Price, a ninth-grader from Victor, Mont., won the grand prize of $300 and has her poster featured on the cover of this issue of JAVMA.

Out of the more than 650 entries received, Wilson said the Auxiliary chose this poster because of the dog's eyes. "Just looking into his eyes, you could see the power of love he held for some special person," she said.

The winner of the creative writing contest was Dakota Moore, a fourth-grader from Elgin, Iowa. Her essay titled "The Furry Four" can be found on the Auxiliary's Web site at www.avmaaux.org/npwcontest.html.

Approximately 250 entries were received for the writing contest. Entries for the contest were required to be stories or poems of 20 to 200 words. Students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades were invited to enter.

The 2007 campaign marked the first year that the Auxiliary awarded $300, up from $150, to the writing contest winner.

"When we started the writing contest, we weren't really sure how far or fast it would grow. But after receiving such large numbers of remarkably gifted entries, we decided both contests should be on the same award level," Wilson said.

Along with the contests, the Auxiliary will promote pet week by offering a variety of promotional items for purchase, including banners, balloons, bookmarks, brochures, videos, and T-shirts. Turn to page 167 for the order form.

The Auxiliary's theme for National Pet Week 2008 will be "Pets Jazz Up Your Life"—a nod to New Orleans, which is where the AVMA Annual Convention will be held next year.

 

To learn more about
National Pet Week,
log on to
www.petweek.org