FEBRUARY

1 What is best for dog and cat teeth? To chew on freshly killed prey, but as that’s difficult to arrange on a regular basis in urban America, you could recommend customers use PET DENTAL HEALTH MONTH to sample your raw bones and/or dental products. (Don’t stock dental? See our Oct-Nov 2020 issue.)

February is NATIONAL TIME MANAGEMENT MONTH, and to honor the occasion we have a simple recommendation: Each day, pick five things that really need to get done and then eliminate the bottom two. Write them on a sticky note. And do them.

12 Gunpowder. Noodles. Shih Tzus … Of all the things that originated in China, we’re partial to the little red envelopes elders traditionally give to young family members and friends each LUNAR NEW YEAR. Consider putting a gift voucher in a Chinese-styled packet and inviting customers to welcome the Year of the Ox (a conservative but determined character).

14 VALENTINE’S DAY offers pet businesses and their customers a not-surprising number of ways to show their love for animals. Dexter’s Deli in San Diego, CA, holds a Save a Sweetheart campaign to raise funds for a local animal rescue or welfare group, and it includes professional Valentine photos. Take pandemic precautions to do the same or consider a selfie-station spin on that idea.

22 “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking,” observed Nietzsche. Countless famous thinkers — Darwin, Thoreau, Wordsworth — swore by daily walks, as did seriously successful businessman Steve Jobs. With warmer days on the horizon, plan to offer springtime group pet walks. It’s a great way to connect your customers and build community around your business.

MARCH

14 The math on PI DAY is pretty simple: Delicious treats multiplied by fun service equals happy pets and even happier owners. Go beyond peanut butter to stand out. And if you can bring the package together for a price of $3.14 a piece, all the sweeter.

16 Get your MARCH MADNESS pool ready: The NCAA basketball tournament starts today and runs to the first week of April. Why take part in what is probably the country’s biggest illegal gambling event? It’s fun. And the good feelings have been shown to reduce stress, boost immune systems and encourage camaraderie.

17 It’s typically the day cheery mobs paint the town green, but Dog Krazy went for the pot of gold on ST. PATRICK’S DAY in 2020, selling 750 bags of dog cookies, 50 of which had a paw-printed metal coin stamped with its logo, which entitled the customer to 50 percent off. It’s the time of year we all turn Irish. Test your luck.

20 There’s something to be said for the arrival of the new year, but it’s really nothing compared to the mad energy with which the animal world welcomes SPRING. To ensure your customers’ pets are ready for their return to the great outdoors, draft a special program for flea and tick treatments, grooming and best of all — your line of the latest ball launchers. In certain areas of the country, Buster has been waiting to play fetch for four long months.

24-26 We’ll miss seeing our amazing readers at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, FL, this year, but we still plan to take part. GLOBAL PET EXPO DIGITAL ACCESS happens on these days on the germ-free internet. Visit globalpetexpo.org to get the full schedule of events. We’ll be waving to you digitally!

29 On NATIONAL MOM AND POP BUSINESS OWNERS DAY, we hand you a homework assignment: Read our March-April lead (“100 Things Every Pet Pro Should Know”) and absorb the lessons from peers around the country.