America's most trusted service for prospective puppy owners aims even higher than before
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 19, 2017) - PuppySpot.com is proud to announce the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board, comprised of recognized experts in veterinary medicine, animal sciences and dog welfare. The Board's mandate is to enhance and build upon PuppySpot's industry-leading standards to continue to ensure substantive, in-depth, science-based standards of practice for the company and its thousands of breeder partners.
The PuppySpot Scientific Advisory Board was created after nearly a year's worth of intensive research, outreach and coordination with leaders in the public, private, veterinary and academic sectors. The Board members' expertise spans fields relevant to ensuring the physical, emotional, and long-term health of breeding dogs and their puppies placed through PuppySpot's exclusive network of responsible breeders. PuppySpot only works with the nation's highest-quality, responsible breeders - less than 10 percent of the breeder partners who enter the company's review process are accepted into the network.
PuppySpot is honored to welcome its first members, in alphabetical order:
Prof. Raymond Anthony, PhD, of the University of Alaska Anchorage. He is a Professor of Philosophy, specializing in environmental, food, animal and agricultural ethics. Prof. Anthony also serves as Ethics Advisor for the American Veterinary Medical Association's Animal Welfare Committee and Panels on Euthanasia, Humane Slaughter and Depopulation. He has a PhD and master's degree from Purdue University, and a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy from Millikin University.
Dr. Ron DeHaven, DVM, president of DeHaven Veterinary Solutions. As the top official at the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), he was responsible for administering the Animal Welfare Act, protecting and promoting American agriculture, and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. Dr. DeHaven was the CEO of AVMA for 9 years, from 2007 until 2016. Based in Maryland, Dr. DeHaven received his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from Purdue University and has a master's degree in business administration from Millsaps College.
Dr. John J. Goldberg, PhD, is the founder of Science Based Strategies, a Washington, DC based food, agriculture and environmental policy consulting firm, and a partner in the Normandy Group, LLC, a government relations firm. Prior to his move to the private sector, Dr. Goldberg served 22 years as Science Advisor to the Committee on Agriculture in the United States House of Representatives. In this role, Dr. Goldberg was the principal policy advisor to seven Chairmen for and was responsible for numerous titles and subtitles of the last four farm bills. Dr. Goldberg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Rutgers University, and a Master of Science and Doctorate in Animal and Food Sciences, and Microbiology from the University of Vermont.
Dr. Peter Kirsten, DVM, served nearly 30 years in the USDA APHIS as a Supervisory Animal Care Specialist and a Veterinary Medical Officer. Prior to his work at the USDA, he spent more than a decade providing direct care to animals. Based in Michigan, Dr. Kirsten graduated from the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Kenneth Vail. During 42 years of service in the USDA's Office of the General Counsel, including 30 years as a Senior Executive Assistant General Counsel, he advised senior departmental officials on all legal work involving animal welfare. Mr. Vail graduated from the University of Florida and Stetson University College of Law.
Dr. Aaron Wise, DVM, of the East Holmes Veterinary Clinic. Based in Ohio, Dr. Wise graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine and also has a master's degree in Animal Sciences.
"PuppySpot's unique and proprietary standards sit at the core of what we do, which is why we strive to keep improving on our already first-rate dog welfare benchmarks," said Greg Liberman, Chief Executive Officer at PuppySpot. "From PuppySpot's beginning, our mission has been to make lives better by placing healthy puppies into happy homes with foundational elements like our industry-leading Health Guarantee and No Puppy Mill Promise. Our Scientific Advisory Board will ensure that we continue to raise the bar for the responsible breeding industry and adapt to new developments in veterinary medicine and animal sciences."
"As a lifelong pet owner and someone who has worked with those in production agriculture for many years," stated Dr. John Goldberg, Chairman of the PuppySpot Advisory Board, "I appreciate the close relationships that develop between individuals and animals. We all share a responsibility for the careful stewardship of the animals in our charge. I am excited to serve as Chairman of an independent Science Advisory Board established to support efforts by PuppySpot to maintain the highest possible standards of animal health and welfare."
More details of the roles, responsibilities and activities of the Advisory Board and on the new standards of practice will be announced in the coming months.
About PuppySpot
PuppySpot's mission is to make lives better by placing healthy puppies into happy homes. Based upon a fundamental belief that finding a puppy does not have to come with so many x-factors, PuppySpot does not ask for trust, but seeks to earn it through transparency and action. PuppySpot is a USDA-licensed company and winner of the Feefo Gold Trusted Service award, an independent seal of excellence that recognizes exceptional business experiences, rated by real customers. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
