Veterinary Pet Insurance Launches National Pet Pa...( Free 'Pet Parent's Day' e-Card...),Health

Free 'Pet Parent's Day' e-Cards available on petinsurance.com

BREA, Calif., April 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation's oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, has designated the last Sunday in April -- this year, April 27 -- as National Pet Parent's Day, slating the nation's first official day celebrating pet caregivers. In the traditional spirit of a spring season set aside for celebrating parents of human children, National Pet Parent's Day recognizes and honors those who lovingly consider their pets part of their family.

In an effort to facilitate the recognition of pet parents, VPI is offering electronic greeting cards dedicated to National Pet Parent's Day on its Web site, petinsurance.com, through April 27. VPI's 'e-Cards' will be available for Web site visitors to share with the pet parent(s) of their choice -- friends, family or even spouses who raise dogs, cats, birds, or exotic pets. Similar to popular online greeting cards, senders will have the ability to choose a design and attach a personalized message to the electronic greeting.

"Research on the human-animal bond and our own data suggests that many people consider themselves pet parents," said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. "A recent survey by the American Animal Hospital Association indicates 83 percent of pet owners consider themselves their pet's mom or dad. Many of VPI's policyholders emphatically label their pets as children, and we felt compelled to set aside an annual day to recognize the special bond and commitment made by pet owners."

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, in 2006 nearly half of pet owners, or 49.7 percent, considered their pets family members. Among U.S. pet caregivers, young pet owners without children and older pet owners whose children have left home are most likely to consider themselves to be pet "parents."

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