Rescue
& adoptiont
ADOPTING ONLINE
your
next best friend might be just a mouse
click away
by
B.J. Candella
 “I
found myself quite lost after my beloved
miniature dachshund Mr. Mann passed away,”
says Jill Kirkland of Scottsdale, Arizona.
“After a brief time I knew that
the best thing I could do would be to
find another furry friend to adopt.”
Jill logged onto the Internet and found
an online adoption site called PETS 911.
“On my first search within my zip
code, I found an adorable long-haired
mini-Dachshund mix,” says Jill.
“The photo of his ‘knowing
smile’ was all it took to win my
heart, and the rescue he was at was only
four blocks from my home. Meeting him
proved he was all I hoped for, so I made
immediate arrangements to adopt him.”
As Jill’s story indicates, the influence
of the Internet has gone far beyond downloading
music or auctioning your old junk on Ebay.
More and more people are using the World
Wide Web as a way to find their soul mates,
both human and animal.
Online adoption is changing the way we
find and adopt our animal companions.
It’s not like browsing Amazon.com
(your dog or cat will not be Fed Ex’ed
to the door!), but free services such
as PETS 911 (PETS911.com), which works
with more than 10,000 non-profit shelters
and rescues, is where you can begin your
search. “We knew there had to be
a better way to bring animals and people
together,” says CEO Chris Warner,
who launched the site in 1999.
“Sometimes well-meaning citizens
hesitate to go to their local shelter
when they are looking for a pet because
they are worried it will be depressing,
or that there will be too many animals
to pick from,” says Betsy McFarland
of the Humane Society of the United States
(HSUS). “Offering adopters the ability
to search for pets from the comfort of
their home gives them the ability to see
if there are any animals that fit their
criteria. It’s fun and easy –
and best of all, when they find the perfect
pet, they can go to the local shelter
and start the adoption process.”
PETS 911, and others sites like it, such
as www.AdoptAnAnimal.ca for Canadian adoptions,
allow you to narrow down your search to
the kind and breed of animal you’re
looking for, and the shelter or rescue
nearest you. You can even browse pictures
of available shelter animals near your
home, until all that’s left is a
quick drive to pick up your new companion.
“When using online services, be
patient, advises Betsy. “If the
kind of pet you’re seeking doesn’t
show up on the first search, try again
next day. There are always more animals
needing homes, and it will be just a matter
of time before your perfect companion
appears.”
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Published
in the October/November 2005 issue of
Animal Wellness
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