Hartz Mountain Sold
Sumitomo Corp. of America (New York) purchased JWC Hartz Holdings Inc., the holding company of The Hartz Mountain Corp. (Secaucus, N.J.), from J.W. Childs Equity Partners II L.P. in June for $388 million. Sumitomo Corp. of America is a division of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Corp., an integrated global trading company...

United Pet Group Sold
United Industries Corp. (St. Louis), which goes to market as Spectrum Brands, in June agreed to acquire United Pet Group Inc. (Cincinnati) for $360 million...

Petco Pays $900,000 to Settle Lawsuits
Petco Animal Supplies Inc. (San Diego) in May agreed to pay more than $900,000 to settle two lawsuits accusing the company of charging customers more than the advertised prices on items offered for sale, and for not properly caring for animals in Petco stores...

Iams, Pet Plan Offer Pet Health Packages
The Iams Co. (Dayton, Ohio) and Pet Plan Insurance (Winnipeg, Manitoba) in May launched the Iams Pet Plan Pet Insurance Value Pack in all 231 Wal-Mart stores in Canada...

CITES Approves Trade Restrictions for Seahorses
New permit requirements for global trade in seahorses took effect in May, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...

States Search for Giant Snails
Pet stores in Maine faced special inspections while pet stores in North Carolina received letters asking them to notify state authorities if they suspect they have giant African land snails-snails that are harmful to plants and people alike...

African Frogs Invade California
African clawed frogs, outlawed as pets in California several years ago, are proliferating in San Francisco-area ponds, alarming California biologists who already are fighting a host of other invasive species...

Vet Techs Win Sue Busch Memorial Awards
Four veterinary technicians who have devoted significant time and energy to the health and welfare of companion animals were named as recipients of the 2004 Sue J. Busch Memorial Awards, administered by The Pet Care Trust (Quilcene, Wash.)...

Interzoo Draws Huge Crowd to Germany
More than 26,000 trade visitors attended Interzoo 2004, held May 13-16 at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg in Nuremberg, Germany-up approximately 15 percent from the previous show in 2002...