At the NASCAR Toyota All Star Showdown, Pets Best Insurance Driver Brett Thompson Scored an Important Win for His Sponsors and Community
October 24, 2007
Pet Cancer Veterinarians, Dr. Brian
Huber, Dr. Alice Villalobos and Driver Brett Thompson
October 24, 2007 (Boise, ID)
--- Pets Best Insurance scores the Toyota All Star Showdown as a win for their
driver Brett Thompson and the Pets Best Grand National Racecar. However,
official NASCAR Race Results show Brett not winning on the race track due to an
accident on lap 243 of the 250-lap race. Brett was in sixth at the time and was
moving up fast through the pack. Sponsor Pets Best Insurance marks the race in
the absolute win column as it raised awareness for animal shelters, pet cancer
and provided recognition to the Inland Valley Humane Society through the SPCA
International (www.SPCA.com) – Shelter of the Week
program.
According to the President and
Founder of Pets Best Insurance Dr. Jack Stephens, "We could not be more
pleased with the efforts of Brett on-and-off-the track. This racing environment
provides the ability to communicate important pet health and welfare messages to
caring and enthusiastic NASCAR fans. It also provides fun family venues to
entertain and provides recognition to pet shelters and veterinary hospitals.”
Brett with SPCA.COM Executive Director
Michael Zambotti and James Edward of the Inland Valley Humane Society
At the Toyota All Star
Showdown, Pets Best Insurance had four primary messages;
1. Support for The Morris Animal Foundation’s Canine
Cancer Campaign, with the goal to cure canine cancer and provide research that
will support and deliver a human cure sooner.
2. Pets Best Insurance National Oncology Initiative. This
provides a free consultation with a specialist for all cats and dogs with
cancer nationwide.
3. ShelterBest, Racing to Save Pets – this program supports
local shelters with funding and raises awareness of the value, love and joy
that a shelter pet can bring to humans.
4. To support SPCA International’s Shelter of the Week
program. This program recognizes one shelter each week with a generous
donation and a feature on www.SPCA.com.
Team Owner Rich Thompson spends time with
Dr. Alice Villalobos and husband Ira
The Morris Animal Foundation is dedicated to funding research studies to protect,
treat and cure animals. The foundation launched a five-year, $30-million global
campaign to cure canine cancer in April of this year. Pets Best Insurance has
pledged one million dollars towards this goal to help fund clinical trials to
develop treatments to help dogs suffering from cancer now, as well as fund
genetic, environmental and other studies to find cures.
World-renowned scientists and
cancer specialists agree that this MAF-led effort will not only save countless
dogs from suffering and premature death, but should also help produce
breakthroughs in the prevention, treatment, and cures of human cancers – in
particular, childhood cancers.
Team Owners Jane (second from left) &
Rich Thompson (second from right) spend time with Dr. Brian Huber and Dr. Alice
Villalobos
Pets Best Insurance has created the National
Oncology Initiative with Oncura Partners, a national pet cancer specialty
service. Together Pets Best and Oncura Partners are underwriting and offering
no-cost consultations for all pets in the
United States
with cancer. Pet
families need not have Pets Best Insurance, but they must have the consultation
requested through their veterinarian. Families will receive this valuable
initial consultation at no cost with a pet oncologist (cancer specialist) for
their pet with any form of Cancer. At the race, Pets Best had Dr. Brian Huber,
president of Oncura Partners, and Dr. Alice Villalobos, a pioneer in pet
cancer medicine and author, on hand to speak to media and families about
pet cancer.
Brett with his adopted shelter dog Bowdy
The ShelterBest, Racing to Save Pets ( a pet shelter partner awareness program)
is designed to increase awareness, adoptions, and provide financial
responsibility for a pet’s care. It decreases the cost of insurance to pet
families while providing needed donations back to the shelter. With Brett, Pets
Best is “Racing to Save Pets” by bringing awareness of the value, love and joy
that a shelter pet can bring to humans. Shelter pets are generally healthier in
the long run, so Pets Best provides a group discount for all shelter pets from
participating shelters. Shelter pets make great pets.
Brett with SPCA.COM Executive Director
Michael Zambotti
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
International (SPCA.COM) selected the
Inland Valley Humane Society as Shelter of the Week for October 29 and Brett
Thompson presented the check during the pre-race ceremonies at the Toyota All
Star Showdown. The Inland Valley Humane Society serves nine cities and
county areas with a total population of over 750,000. They provide food,
shelter and medical treatment to over 400 dogs and 200 cats each day. The
mission of SPCA International is to raise awareness of the abuse of animals to
a global level, to teach and foster good pet parenting practices, and to
promote spay and neuter programs around the world with the goal of eradicating
the need to euthanize healthy and adoptable companion animals of all ages.
Every week, SPCA International chooses an animal shelter that they feel is not
only doing a great job, but also needs a little extra financial assistance.
About Pets Best Insurance: Pets Best Insurance
reimburses pet owners for services from the veterinarian they choose, with no
schedules or fee restrictions, truly establishing it as "Pet insurance
that really pays!" Pets Best Insurance was founded by Dr. Jack Stephens,
the pioneer of American pet insurance with over 25 years in the pet insurance
industry. Dr. Stephens is also an accomplished veterinarian and avid pet
enthusiast. Pets Best includes a choice of three affordable coverage plans with
a straightforward 80:20 claims reimbursement structure and NO benefit
schedules. The Pets Best Insurance team is a highly skilled and professional
group of pet lovers who have developed products based on innovation and insight
into veterinary care. Visit Pets Best Insurance at www.petsbest.com or phone Pets Best
Insurance at 877-PetsBest (738-7237). Pets Best, Simply the Best Pet Insurance.
About the Morris Animal
Foundation: Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) answers a critical and unique need in promoting
and protecting animal health and welfare and advancing veterinary medicine. MAF
is the world’s largest nonprofit foundation 501(c)(3) dedicated to funding
research studies to protect, treat and cure animals, including companion
animals (dogs, cats, horses, llamas/alpacas), as well as wildlife (mountain
gorillas, elephants, rhinoceros, wolves, and many varieties of birds, reptiles,
amphibians, and fish). Nearly 50 of the world’s most respected research
institutions, colleges of veterinary medicine, and zoos are conducting about
120 MAF-sponsored studies and 30 veterinary student projects. Since our
founding in 1948, we have funded almost 1,400 studies with funds of more than
$51 million — with 100 percent of all annual donations going to fund animal
health. Visit the Morris Animal Foundation at www.morrisanimalfoundation.org.
About SPCA.COM: The mission of SPCA
International is to raise awareness of the abuse of animals to a global level,
to teach and foster good pet parenting practices, and to promote spay and
neuter programs around the world with the goal of eradicating the need to
euthanize healthy and adoptable companion animals of all ages. The SPCA also
serves as an information and referral resource for animal lovers throughout the
world who seek a shelter or want to adopt a shelter animal, who have questions
about animals, or who wish to join with like-minded advocates to raise
awareness and end cruelty to animals. Visit SPCA International at www.spca.com.
About Thompson Motorsports: Thompson Motorsports and Brett Thompson race in the
Craftsman Truck Series and the Grand National Division in No. 61 and No. 81. In
addition to racing on their own, the Thompson Motorsports team puts their
skills to use by building, maintaining and managing cars for local and regional
racing series. Phone: 208-324-3123, FAX: 208-324-3108. Visit Thompson
Motorsports at www.thompsonnascar.com.
About NASCAR: NASCAR is the #1 spectator sport -- holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting
events in the U.S., it is the #2 rated regular-season sport on television with
broadcasts in over 150 countries, and has 75 million fans that purchase over $2
billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are the most brand loyal
in all of sports and as result, more Fortune 500 companies participate in
NASCAR than any other sport. Visit NASCAR at www.nascar.com.
# # #
Media Contact:
Jen Neal 1-877-738-7237 ext. 315
