Lotsa Dogs Lotsa Fun

Lotsa Dogs Lotsa Fun
The Big Dogs Wait at The Door

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Q&A on Adoptions - GUEST POST FROM ADOPT-A-PET!

Common Questions About Pet Adoption




Q: Although there are millions of pets in shelters needing homes each year, many pet-owners-to-be don’t think about pet adoption when they’re looking for their new four-legged friend. Why do you think this is, and what can be done to turn that around?

A: Many people who want to get a pet just are not aware of how many great pets are available at shelters. They might also have the misconception that pets in shelters might be there because there was a problem with the animal. In fact, most pets end up in shelters not because of any problem with pet behavior, but because an owner died, moved, or simply didn't have the time or money to care for the animal. In some cases animals are lost and never found by their owners. These animals are healthy and very eager to please. Rescued pets are wonderful- just ask anyone who has one.

Some people are seeking purebred animals or puppies and think these animals are not available in shelters. In fact, nearly a quarter of all animals in shelters are purebred. Often someone buys an expensive purebred animal and then attempts to breed that animal to recoup their money. Often these animals are not placed in homes, and end up in the shelter. Puppies and kittens often up in shelters as well, but it is important to note that puppies require a lot of work and training and can be quite destructive (peeing on the carpet or chewing shoes). Puppies are great, but often people are much happier getting a dog who is older, and whose size and temperament is a known quantity.

Through Adopt-a-Pet.com and without even leaving their home, people can search all their local shelters and see pictures and descriptions of the pets available for adoption. This way, they can find the exact pet they want, call the animal shelter or rescue group, and get information on how to adopt that specific animal.



Q: What are the 5 most important things a potential adopter should consider when choosing their new pet?

A: We actually have a blog post on this highlighting the top 10 things we believe are important when adopting. Here are five, the rest can be located by visiting this page http://www.adoptapet.com/public/guides/permanentpets.html.

1. You need to make a real commitment to care for your pet for its entire life.

2. Verify in advance that you’re allowed to keep a pet where you live.

3. Never adopt a pet on a whim or because you feel it’s love-at-first-sight

4. Provide sufficient exercise and stimulation during the first few weeks, this will help the pet adjust.

5. Make any necessary modifications to your yard and fence to provide for your pet’s safety.



Q: What are 5 positive aspects of pet adoption, and why it’s a good option?

A:

1. When you adopt an adult animal, you can see his/her size and temperament. This helps ensure that the pet is right for you and your family.

2. It feels great to know you have saved an animal’s life and everyone you meet will give you kudos for that for years to come.

3. Adopted pets are very loyal and know they have been given a new home.

4. Adopting a pet can be an important lesson to teach your children-- both about the value of life, and also about civic responsibility and even recycling- in this case recycling a living and loving animal into a new home.

5. Choosing a mixed breed animal can help avoid many of the genetic health problems that have developed in purebred animals due overbreeding and inbreeding.



Q: If someone reading this isn’t in a position to adopt a pet right at this time, but still wants to help homeless pets, what are 5 things they can do to get involved?

A:

1. People can do Social PETworking and Twitter Critter! They can run a search on Adopt-a-Pet.com, find a pet they want to help get exposure for, and use the share tools on our site to post the pet link on their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or other social network page. Or, they can email the link of a pet in need from our site to their friends.

2. They can place a link/graphic or even a search widget for Adopt-a-Pet.com on their personal website to encourage they users to see pets in need at local shelters. (hyper link "link" to our links page http://www.adoptapet.com/public/links/index.html where we have graphics to be used as links)(hyper link "search widget" to our search module page http://www.adoptapet.com/public/searchtools/ which itself is a link from our links page)

3. People can add their info to our volunteer database (link http://www.adoptapet.com/volunteer/signup) so shelters who need volunteers can find them.

4. People can search Adopt-a-Pet.com to find a local shelter, and make a cash donation to that shelter to help them with the costs of housing, feeding and medical care of shelter animals.

5. People can encourage other pet owners to spay or neuter their pet (link to our spay neuter page http://www.adoptapet.com/public/spay_and_neuter/index.html) to help prevent unwanted births.

Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage
http://www.adoptapet.com/

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Wally's 3rd birthday

Wally is a born party boy.  He loved his party hat, his birthday candle and, especially, his Frosty Paws treat.  His mom asked that he eat half of his treat, so his play pals shared in the bounty!



Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Clancy rocks! Itsa party boy.

It's Clancy's first birthday today and he and his pals had a fun party.  There was a problem, though.  How does a guy carry his rubber bone around and eat his birthday treat at the same time???



The Doggie Den Homepage

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Cleo's 3rd Birthday

We call her Cleo the Shy.  Try as she might, Laurie couldn't get Cleo to eat her birthday treat, though she was a good sport about the party hat.  After we stopped filming Cleo consented to eat a few bites if Laurie hand fed her.  That's our Cleo.



Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

Today is Sweet Eva's First Birthday

Eva turned 1 year old today and Laurie fed her a doggy ice cream while envious playpals looked on.  Eva was a good sport and even wore a party hat!



Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage

Cuba is June Dog of the Month

Meet Cuba, a dog who thoroughly enjoys life.  She's easy-going as can be, but will stand up for herself  if another dog steps on her.  Cuba loves to be cuddled and talked to.  She's our June Dog of the Month and will get a free bath and nail trim.  She says it's about time!



Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

Birthday Party for Corinna's 1st!

Corinna the Swiss Mountain Dog mix turned one year old today and she graciously shared her beautiful birhtday cake with her 26 Doggie Den friends.  Good job, Corinna!


Check out these dog links!
The Doggie Den Homepage