ANIMAL FAIR MAGAZINE AND WEBSITE ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE FOURTH ANNUAL CESAR® FIVE DOG BONE AWARDS
New York, NY (2008) — Animal Fair, the nation’s first lifestyle magazine and website for animal lovers, is proud and honored to announce the nation’s top pet-friendly companies with The Fourth Annual Cesar® Five Dog Bone Awards. Our readers have spoken and we listened! This annual award, the first of its kind, recognizes the significant role that pets play in our lives and the establishments that cater to them, with recipients selected based upon their excellence in pet-friendly travel and product services, as well as their recognition of the importance of people with pets. The pet-friendly companies that qualify for consideration are based on an Animal Fair Readership Survey, with each category winner awarded for its travel friendliness and overall sense of accommodating style. There are seven specialized categories, including Pet-Friendly Airline, Automobile, Destination, Hotel, Product, Resort and Shelter.
Founder and Editorial Director of Animal Fair, Wendy Diamond, created the awards after traveling to Russia, Greece, Mexico, and across the United States with her white Maltese Lucky. Diamond comments, “Traveling with your pet should be as natural and easy as traveling with your children, with one big exception, children don’t have to travel under the seat like pets!”
The winners of The Fourth Annual Cesar® Five Dog Bone Awards were determined from specific guidelines. The final decisions for each category are made by a group of select pet-related experts that visit and inspect each nominated category. Animal Fair realizes that with more than 68 million dogs and 88 million cats in the United States, and with approximately more than 79 percent of pet parents traveling with their pets, there is a genuine necessity for pet parents to know where they can get the best services and products for their pets.
“We applaud all those who recognize and support the importance of the pet and parent bond,” said Rob Leibowitz, Vice President of Marketing, Mars Petcare U.S., maker of the Cesar® brand. “We are thrilled to help honor this year’s winners for the exceptional experiences they offer that enrich the lives of pets and those who adore them.”
Animal Fair’s 4th Annual 2008 Cesar Five Dog Bone Awards
The 2008 Winners Are:
Pet-Friendly Airline: Continental Airlines.
Our readers have taken off with Continental Airlines! Animal Fair and the Cesar® Five Dog Bone Awards announce the aviators as our 2008 Pet-Friendliest Airlines! Continental continues to stand out as the airline to beat for its PetSafe program that allows animals too large to travel in the cabin, to travel as cargo instead of baggage. The program has many features designed to ensure a pet’s comfort and safety and to alleviate the worries of their parents. Animals are carried to the planes in climate controlled Paw Vans, and are the last on, and the first off of the planes. Weather conditions are monitored continually and they have a 24-hour live animal desk hotline. Anxious parents can track their pet’s trip online via the airline’s website. At Continental, small dogs, cats, rabbits and birds can still travel in the cabin with their parents, but they must be carried in an approved in-cabin kennel. The PetSafe program is not just limited to dogs, cats, birds and rabbits; Continental has flown a variety of larger animals that include bears and tigers! Animal Fair’s readers continue to fly the blue sky with pet-safe and caring Continental Airlines! For more information visit: continental.com.
Pet-Friendly Automobile: Volvo.
Our 2008 Readers’ Survey Cesar® Five Dog Bone Award winner for the automotive category is Volvo! Our canine-influenced experts appreciated models like the XC70 and XC90, not only for their stylish sheet metal but their large interiors that gobble up all the necessary puppy gear that’s a must for a trip to the country or the beach. And unlike those tall truck based SUV’s, the Volvo XC70 and XC90 are closer to the ground, they don’t require our furry friends to stretch all four legs to jump in or get embarrassed by their parents lifting them in and out every time they go for a ride. If one of your littermates prefers to travel in a crate there is plenty of room in the storage area out back and an available protective grill to keep everything safe. Without a doubt all of our readers’ tails wagged for Volvo’s rear seat entertainment system with its headrest mounted video screens and the iPod interface system, guaranteed to have pets and parents alike howling while cruising into the holiday horizon! For more information visit: volvocars.com.
Pet-Friendly Destination: New York City, New York.
The Big Apple is not just a tourist attraction for people anymore, but is inviting for their traveling pets too! Animal Fair is proud to present New York City the Pet-Friendliest Destination Award of 2008! Offering scores of hotels that provide pet accommodations in almost every neighborhood, Lady Liberty welcomes your pets with open arms. Enjoy shopping at the Time Warner Center, pampering at the many hound-hospitable hotels, dining at canine-cuisine restaurants, celebrating the nightlife at dog-friendly bars, and strolling outdoors with your four-legged friend. With more than two-dozen off leash dog parks alone, including the famous Central Park, Pug Hill, and Washington Square Park, your dog will never want to leave “the city that never sleeps”. Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs are jam-packed with exciting pet-friendly activities and events for you and your pet to indulge in. It’s no wonder that Animal Fair’s readers voted New York City the Pet-Friendliest Destination of 2008. So nice to pets – they named it twice! For more information visit: nycvisit.com.
Pet-Friendly Hotel: The Driskill Hotel (Austin, Texas)
There’s going to be a huge stampede of vacationing pets and their parents visiting The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas after the word gets out that Animal Fair’s readers have honored this historic hotel with the coveted 2008 Cesar® Five Dog Bone Award for Pet-Friendliest Hotel. While staying in their Victorian decorated suites, guests will feel like royalty, and so will their pets! Celebrities such as President Clinton, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Paul Simon, and The Dixie Chicks have rested their cowboy/girl hats at this fine animal-inviting establishment! The Driskill’s Pampered Pet Program offers a comfy custom-designed pet bed with the Driskill logo, delicious looking food and water bowls, bottled water, gourmet pet treats, and a chew toy. They also celebrate an “I Love My Dog” singles pet package that includes a robe, champagne and chocolate covered fruit! Texas is known for doing everything big – and Animal Fair’s readers agree that the Driskill Hotel is large on being graciously pet-friendly. For more information visit: driskillhotel.com.
Pet-Friendly Product: Sherpa Bags.
Animal Fair’s readers didn’t have any trouble finding a pet carrier that is stylish, functional, and lightweight! Sherpa Bag designer, Gayle Martz has created the perfect pet product for people to travel comfortably with their small companions! With 15 years of excellence serving the pet-population, Sherpa, the original soft-sided carrier, is the winner of this year’s Cesar® Five Dog Bone Award for Pet-Friendly Product! Because of the Sherpa Bag’s reliability, it’s currently the officially approved soft-sided carrier for in-cabin use for most major airlines. These convenient canine carriers can be easily and comfortably stowed underneath airline seats unlike other hard-sided carriers. The Sherpa Bag is highly recommended for use by veterinarians, the ASPCA, the Delta Society and the Humane Society. Our readers at Animal Fair also loved that these lightweight carriers are fashionably designed in over a dozen different styles, and offered with fun accessories! For more information visit: sherpapet.com.
Pet-Friendly Resort: Fairmont Scottsdale Princess (Scottsdale, Arizona)
Located in the heart of the Arizona desert, the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort’s gorgeous architecture is designed after the Grand Canyon’s Havasu Falls. Scottsdale is known as “the Beverly Hills of the desert,” guests and their pets will relish in this animal-friendly jewel of an oasis. The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and Willow Steam Spa offers the Paws On Board program that welcomes pets with gifts galore upon arrival, including a walking map which provides scenic paths and trails around the 65 acre property. Our readers also loved that the Paws On Board program provided their pets with blankets, treats, toys, and even a turn down treat in the evening, before bedtime. But the most attractive perk is that this is one of the only resorts in the country that allow pets at the pool! That’s right – pets are able to watch their parents do the doggie paddle! It’s no surprise why Animal Fair’s readers voted the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess the Pet-Friendliest Resort for 2008. For more information visit: Fairmont.com/Scottsdale.
Pet-Friendly Animal Shelter: Humane Society Of Louisiana:
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 destroying the lives and homes of many, among the places in ruins was the Humane Society of Louisiana. This animal shelter has led the fight against animal cruelty for the last 20 years. But, even Mother Nature can’t thwart this shelter! Now temporarily relocated because of the hurricane’s destruction, the Humane Society of Louisiana continues to rescue, rehabilitate and adopt thousands of animals in need. Recently, the Humane Society of Louisiana has launched a new initiative in solving crimes involving animals called the Rapid Response Animal Abuse Team. The Humane Society strives to enforce punishment and crime solving for animals violence, with the hopes to decline and eventually eliminate animal crimes all together. With generous support and donations from animal enthusiasts across the nation, the Humane Society of Louisiana continues to do what they do best, save the lives of animals, with hopes of rebuilding a new shelter soon. It’s because of their tireless efforts that our readers have voted, and Animal Fair proudly presents the Humane Society of Louisiana with the 2008 Cesar® Five Dog Bone Award for Pet-Friendliest Shelter. For more information visit: Humanela.org.
