National Service Dog Eye Exam Day

PRESS INFORMATION TO PROMOTE YOUR LOCAL EVENT

It is vital that all 140 veterinary ophthalmologists, and/or their clinics help promote the event locally. This will help ensure that not only local Service Dog owners/agents hear about the event but also that local press become interested in covering it. The ACVO National Service Dog Eye Exam Day is an excellent way to get local press to cover your clinic and the services you provide. Please do not shy away from sending the following to as many of your local print, radio and television press contacts as possible.

The below email/cover letter could be included as your email note, it will also link to the video promotion. You should then open the 'press release document' (#3 below), include your clinic's contact information and the name of veterinary ophthalmologists willing to answer questions, and send this as an attachment to your local press affiliate.

Please consider sending this to at least two of each media listed above. Email addresses of reporters handling human-interest (e.g. human-animal bond) stories, and medical stories, are easily located by searching that press affiliate's web site. Press is in need of good stories to cover of a local nature. The information provided below will refer them back to a press-centered area of this web site to help answer most questions.

Finally....PLEASE SEND US copies of written coverage or clips of visual coverage that you may receive if at all possible!!! Email or fax this to the ACVO office.

PRESS INFORMATION: We would suggest you send the cover email and press release to local affiliates. You are welcome to edit the release to customize to your clinic.

2) Video link for press, includes clips from local TN event (included in cover letter above)

3) Official press release - to be edited by Clinic (include ophthalmologist's name as local contact)

or...Official press release - complete/general from ACVO

4) Daily News article describing state event in TN in December (pdf), also describing Pet Wellness Reports™ and their role in this event. (published 1/29/08)

5) Human interest story about Mr. Ron McKenney and his Service Dog, Quest. (pdf)

Please refer press to the ACVO office if you wish to defer general questions. Specific questions and interviews are vital to the success of this event so please consider handling these when possible. Coverage will help ensure that Service Dogs benefit from the event and this is free press for your clinic. Just make certain that a veterinary ophthalmologist is the primary contact regarding medical questions, your board eligible DVM on staff should not represent boarded ophthalmologists to the press.