Back in 2001, Ms. Gay, a frail 85-year-old, was out walking
her dog, Blue, in Florida. She slipped and, falling to the ground, couldn’t get
up. It wasn’t long before her plight was noticed by a ‘gator. Alligators in
Florida typically measure over eight feet and weigh about 800 lbs. The only
thing standing between her and certain death was her little Australian Blue
Heeler, weighing in at 24 inches and 50 lbs, which took up a position in the
line of the advancing predator. Ms. Gay watched the encounter with terrified,
unbelieving eyes as the dog dodged, again and again, the giant jaws that
snapped shut as the ‘gator attacked and advanced. Blue continued his rearguard
action as he retreated until, spying a breach in the enemy’s defense, he sprang
in and ripped one of its eyes out. The reptile turned and fled.
Such remarkable valor and loyalty can only come from a
well-developed intelligence and emotional capacity. Dogs are very intuitive and
appear to be particularly able to sense our emotional state. Some possess an
innate ability to detect the onset of an epileptic seizure, hours before
symptoms are experienced. With their keen sense of smell, they can ascertain
subtle chemical changes in perspiration that signal distress or malfunction.
Diabetes alert dogs can assist sufferers of hypoglycemia, which affects mostly
people with type 1 diabetes, because they sense when their owner’s blood sugar
is dropping rapidly or is dangerously low. But having a mind has a downside,
too. Just like us, cats and dogs can become bored. Just like us, they require
mental stimulation. When the Roman poet, Juvenal, prayed for a healthy mind in
a healthy body (mens sana in corpore sano), his entreaty might have been for
our feline and canine friends as well.
OurPet’s Company (OTCQX: OPCO) has been demonstrating its
progressive attitude toward pets by recognizing their mental facets. Its
approach has always been based on thoughtful analysis, not only of their
physical well-being and safety, but their cognitive expression and emotional
equilibrium. For example, it has developed a large (4-inch) IQ Treat Ball® that
can be adjusted to suit a dog’s learning grade. The Treat Ball is filled with
goodies which can only be obtained if the canine is able to discover the way
in. To do so, it must uncover the hatches and apertures on the surface of the
ball. It’s motivated to do so by the smell of the treats and their sound as it
moves the ball around. Built on the same concept but simpler is the Buster Food
Cube. The Buster Food Cube is filled with treats, and a dog must turn it in a
way that allows the treats to slip through a small circular hole on one side of
the cube. Innovative products like these for dogs, and cats, constitute about
50 percent of OurPet’s Company’s revenues, which were $22.8 million in 2014.
2015 revenues are expected to be reported within the next few weeks.
A press release (http://dtn.fm/Vb98R) announcing the latest
market study by the American Pet Products Association (APPA), the 2015–2016
National Pet Owners Survey, estimates that the average amount spent annually on
toys for dogs is $47. The survey also reports that there are some 77.8 million
pet dogs in the U.S. Putting these two numbers together suggests that the
market for dog toys has the potential to reach $3.7 billion if every household
with a dog spends the average. A similar computation for feline toys puts the
market potential at around $2.4 billion. The APPA study estimated a U.S. pet
cat population of 85.8 million and the average annual per cat expenditure at $28.
These are markets that OurPet’s Company is just beginning to
scratch. It is marketing its wide variety of premium, innovative, quality toys
and accessories specially designed to awaken pets’ natural instincts under the
OurPets brand. There’s tremendous room for growth and OurPet’s Company is in
gear to increase market share. The company has been growing at an annually
compounded rate of over 6%, twice the industry rate. OurPet’s Company’s
strategic business plan calls for annual year-over-year sales growth of 15%-20%
with targeted net income as a percentage of sales in the 10%-12% range.
OurPet’s Company, with its innovative energy, is beginning to look like the
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) of the pet toy industry.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ourpets.com
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