Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Ranks

Big Game Teams By Inspired
Pet Names

Pittsburgh Beat Arizona in Football Pet Name Competition

Brea, Calif. (Jan. 29, 2009) — True dedication is not measured in ticket sales, or Terrible Towels. True dedication is the fan with a cat named Rothlisberger, or a poodle named Polamalu. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of medical insurance for pets, recently analyzed its database of more than 467,000 insured pets to find which national football competitor has inspired the most fans to name pets in honor of the team or its players. While the exact inspiration for any pet name may be impossible to determine, there’s no doubt the Steeler Nation made a more pronounced impact on pet names in 2008. Here’s a look at how the two teams match up:

Big Game Pet Names

Arizona	#	Advantage		#	Pittsburgh
Pets Named After:		Cardinals	Steelers		Pets Named After:
Team (“Cardinal” or “Cardinals”)	1			19	Team (“Steeler” or “Steelers”)
Quarterback (“Warner”)	3			4	Quarterback (“Roethlisberger”)
Receiver (“Fitzgerald”)	8			5	Receiver (“Hines Ward”)
Current Stars (“Boldin,” “Edge”)	15			19	Current Stars (“Polamalu,” “Woodley”)
Former Stars (“Tillman,” “Marcel”)	35			32	Former Stars (“Bettis,” “Bradshaw”)
Nickname or Mascot (“Big Red”)	9			4	Nickname or Mascot (“Steely”)
Intangibles (“Whisenhunt,” “Leinart”)	5			76	Intangibles (“Rooney,” “Myron”)
Overall	76			159	Overall

About Veterinary Pet Insurance

Veterinary Pet Insurance Co./DVM Insurance Agency is the nation’s oldest and largest pet health insurance company. Providing pet owners with peace of mind since 1982, the company is committed to being the trusted choice of America’s pet lovers and an advocate of pet health education. VPI Pet Insurance plans cover dogs, cats, birds and exotic pets for multiple medical problems and conditions relating to accidents, illnesses and injuries. Optional Pet WellCare ProtectionSM for routine care is also available.

Medical plans are available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 2,000 companies nationwide offer VPI Pet Insurance as an employee benefit. Policies are underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company in California and in all other states by National Casualty Company, an A+15 rated company in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, call 800-USA-PETS (800-872-7387) or visit petinsurance.com.