The Hunte Corporation - Industry Firsts

Hunte adheres to the strictest puppy care standards, including guidelines established by the USDA, the State of Missouri and the American Kennel Club.

Andrew Hunte’s positive impact on the pet industry dates back long before he founded The Hunte Corporation nearly twenty years ago. A lifelong pet lover and animal welfare advocate, Andrew has been in the professional pet industry since he was a child. He has owned and operated retail pet stores and veterinary clinics and, since 1991, the Hunte Corporation has set the standard and continually raised the bar for the pet care industry. The following pages contain a brief overview of those revolutionary initiatives and programs developed exclusively by Hunte which continue to positively transform the professional pet care industry.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to move animals by land in specially built vehicles, designed to support animal health and welfare, and was the first to deliver animals to major air hubs so that they would be shipped via direct flights thereby avoiding the delays and excess stress routinely brought on by flight schedules requiring multiple connections.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to engineer and employ an elaborate kennel ventilation system, the exclusive Hunte Air Purification System, which is designed to remove all air within the kennel and replace it with fresh air every few minutes, eliminating odors, germs and a multitude of other airborne contagions.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to invest in a uniquely-designed delivery system customized exclusively for the safety and comfort of puppies and intended to eliminate stress during the transportation process. The exclusive fleet includes air-ride trucks and trailers, outfitted with the same elaborate kennel ventilation system, the exclusive Hunte Air Purification System, which removes all air in the trailer and replaces it with fresh air every few minutes as well as an on-board 500-gallon waste management system, constant supplies of fresh drinking water and highly-nutritious food for the puppies. Additionally, the Hunte Delivery System features a sophisticated computerized monitoring system that regulates fresh air temperature within 2-degrees at all times.

An average truck and trailer costs approximately $150,000. An additional $160,000 per unit is spent customizing each trailer to meet the unique requirements of the Hunte Delivery System. The result is the safest, cleanest and most comfortable environment for the puppies as they travel.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to certify drivers as Animal Care Technicians by providing them with elaborate training, supervised by licensed veterinarians, which focuses on the unique needs and special requirements of puppies as they travel. Two Hunte Animal Care Technicians are assigned to each delivery vehicle in order to minimize travel time and ensure that the puppies are never left unattended throughout the duration of the delivery.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company with a policy that requires Animal Care Technicians to stop every four hours in order to monitor every puppy’s food, water and overall health. In addition, the technicians perform mandatory cleaning of the mobile kennels every four hours.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to develop and employ sophisticated placement logistics in order to determine the optimum placement of each puppy according to temperament, size, breed, delivery order and other logistics intended to reduce stress throughout the transportation process.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to reject the interstate transportation of puppies inside small, cramped, hard-to-clean, dog carriers stacked in vans and in the back of trucks and which feature no fresh air ventilation or sanitation system.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to employ humidifiers and ultraviolet germicidal lamps in kennel air-conditioning ductwork in order to kill airborne viruses and bacteria.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to routinely send staff veterinarians on delivery vehicles to monitor pet care protocols and procedures, and to support retailers and breeders.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to host a pet care industry convention for the training and continuing education of professional breeders. Hunte’s Breeders Educational Conference is an annual 2-day event that features many of the best known and most sought after industry experts in the fields of canine genetics, nutrition, animal husbandry and pet welfare. Over 1,000 professional breeders attend each year and gain valuable insight into best kennel and breeding practices, procedures and protocols.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to host quarterly Breeder Educational Seminars focused on pet care issues such as kennel design and layout, pet socialization, exercise programs, vaccination schedules, reproductive issues, dietary considerations, disease control and more. Hunte’s quarterly Breeder Educational Seminars are presented by highly-qualified veterinarians, academics and industry experts.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to build a separate isolation facility to provide special care for puppies. Hunte’s Special Care Unit is a separate facility featuring private access, an extensive veterinary staff and a host of specially-trained pet care professionals.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to identify the need for and promote the use of individual nebulizers designed exclusively for puppies.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to employ full room nebulization throughout its kennel operations.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to design and install a kennel wash-down system that most effectively separates puppies from waste for proper sanitation.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to control the spread of viruses and bacteria by implementing a policy of housing no more than two puppies together. Since each puppy has a unique immune system and the weakest immune system is likely to be the first to break with illness, this system ensured that no more than one other animal can be directly affected if such an illness occurs.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to develop, and provide to customers at no charge, extensive proprietary software to automatically download, populate and monitor the following puppy information: - puppy inventory by breed - vaccination records - registration records - health claims by dollar amount - historical sales reports - sire and dam research

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to hold Hobby Breeders to USDA-compliance standards by refusing to purchase from them if they present more than three breeding females per year.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to present a 4-generation pedigree on all registered puppies.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to segregate puppies from different breeders in order to prevent cross-contagion and reduce other health risks.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to allow Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies to conduct extensive testing in search of emerging pathogens.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to train all employees to monitor and report illnesses, to ensure that puppies receive any special care needed and that ill puppies are not transported to retailers.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to implement a program of breeder education in multiple states.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) to microchip every puppy for permanent lifetime identification.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to extend the lifetime identification program to include a pre-enrolled microchip with AKC Companion Animal Recovery, an Amber alert-like program, promoted under the name United Pet Recovery and the Petland Enhanced Protection Program, that not only provides lifetime identification but also enables lost animals to be reunited promptly with their owners.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to establish comprehensive musculoskeletal criteria for accepting puppies from breeders by creating a various grades for knees, hips, heart murmurs, and other health conditions.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to employ full-time, licensed staff veterinarians, a staff which has now grown to eight veterinarians, and to support them with a full compliment of extensively-trained, highly skilled veterinary technicians and a specialized kennel staff.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to invest in an on-site educational facility, The Hunte Learning Center, for the purpose of routinely hosting developmental conferences, seminars and other events for breeders, retailers and Hunte personnel.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to develop animal care products addressing the specific needs of puppies not addressed by other products. These include Hunte Puppy-Aid, a highly-effective nutritional supplement that regulates puppies’ digestive tracts and strengthens their immune system; Hunte Totalcide II, a unique disinfectant proven to kill a wide spectrum of animal pathogens; and Hunte Hand Sanitizer, a foaming sanitization product that cleans and moisturizes without water or harmful alcohol.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to utilize its national tradeshow floor space to provide industry education to professional breeders and retailers.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to offer a comprehensive 3-year health warranty. Most other companies typically offer only one year coverage.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to reimburse veterinary expenses and other associated health care costs incurred by retailer customers.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to sponsor a Veterinarian Hotline available 24 hours a day to professional breeders and retailers.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to encourage USDA to amend regulations in order to ensure that puppies were not bought or sold under the age of 8 weeks, eliminating many health risks and issues present before such regulation was enacted.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST company to pledge $50,000 to the Joplin Humane Society’s building campaign and support the Carthage Human Society with financial donations, free vaccines and kennel equipment.

HUNTE WAS THE FIRST (and remains the only) company to manufacture, market and distribute retail pet fixtures constructed from plastic and steel materials that are completely impervious to water, aiding in the cleaning of surfaces and reducing the risks of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.