NorthStar Moving Corp. has launched a new luxury pet care service through partnerships with the California Cat Center Inc., a cat boarding facility in Los Angeles, and Oprah’s personal dog coach Tamar Gellar of The Loved Dog, a cage-free dog daycare and boarding facility also in Los Angeles. more>>

Supported by a survey showing pet owners focusing more on quality ingredients than price when selecting pet foods, The Goodlife Recipe Pet Care Co., a division of Mars Inc., has repackaged its dog and cat food. more>>

Catterton Partners, a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Conn., has sold its investment in Old Mother Hubbard Inc./Wellness Pet Food of Tewksbury, Mass., in a reported $400 million deal. more>>

Because of potential Salmonella contamination, Mars Petcare U.S. of Nashville, Tenn., is voluntarily recalling 100 20-pound bags of Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites sold in Albertsons stores in Southern California and Las Vegas. more>>

California Assembly Bill 1634, now cited as the California Responsible Pet Ownership Act, was amended in the state’s Senate Tuesday to mandate microchipping of certain problem pets and to give pet owners license fee discounts for microchipping and spaying or neutering their pets. more>>

Dallas-based The Bramton Company has acquired Veterinarian’s Best Inc., a company that designs, manufactures, markets and distributes veterinarian-developed natural pet-care products. more>>

Due to potential Salmonella contamination, Mars Petcare U.S. of Nashville, Tenn., is voluntarily recalling 100 of the 20-pound bags of Pedigree Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites sold in Albertsons stores in Southern California and Las Vegas. more>>

Alltech of Lexington, Ky., has named Kathryn Norman its marketing coordinator. She previously worked as an intelligence analyst for the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. more>>

Central Garden & Pet Co. of Walnut Creek, Calif., expects to earn $15.6 million on sales of $493 million for its third quarter ended June 28, compared to income of $15.5 million on sales of $467 million in the year-ago, the company reported in preliminary results released Wednesday. more>>

Representatives from several industry groups met on a conference call earlier this week to discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed WaterSense certification program for new home construction. more>>

Petfood Industry magazine is looking for pet food industry professionals to speak at its annual Petfood Forum, to be held April 20-22, 2009, in Rosemont, Ill. more>>

In a deal closed yesterday, Bradley Caldwell Inc. of Hazelton, Pa., bolstered its pet product distribution business and expanded its geographic reach into the Midwest by acquiring Loveland Pet Products of Mason, Ohio. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. more>>

Oprah Winfrey, Ben Affleck and Owen Wilson are among the stars who have enlisted the help of famed dog trainer Tamar Geller to learn how to teach their four-legged family members some manners. more>>

FouFou Dog of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, has created three breast cancer awareness dog collar charms featuring the pink ribbon symbol in an effort to raise funds for Princess Margaret Hospital, Canada’s largest institution dedicated to cancer research, treatment and education. more>>

Jack’s Aquarium and Pets, a 27-store chain based in Beavercreek, Ohio, has promoted Paul Kamm to vice president of sales and operations and John Frounfelker to director of distribution. more>>

With same-store sales growth of 17 percent for the first two quarters of 2008, pet boutique chain Muttropolis, A Utopia for Pets & Their Parents, appointed Michael Edwards as new chairman of the board and co-founder Steve Goldberg as chief executive officer. more>>

A mosquito population explosion caused by recent Midwest flooding is a good reason for pets to be on heartworm medication this summer. more>>