Rescue dogs are near and dear to my heart. It was a rescue that made me a trainer, and I still share my home with her and two other rescue dogs. I apprenticed for more than 4 years with a dog training school that is part of a shelter and spent many weekends working adoption events for the rescue that two of my dogs came from.
Jeff Howard from adopt-a-pet.com contacted me last week and asked if I would provide a link and some information about their adoption website. I took a look and love the site.
Here’s some information about them:
What is Adopt-a-Pet.com?
Adopt-a-Pet.com is the world’s largest non-profit pet adoption website. We are like an ad agency for shelters and shelter pets. Sadly there are 4 million healthy adoptable companion animals killed in shelters each year due to overcrowding. We do our best to relieve that problem and put pets from shelters in the homes of pet seekers all over the country.
Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find descriptions and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 9,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 130,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over 14,000 people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.
What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique?
On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. (I love this feature!- Eric) For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.
As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends. For more information visit this page.
In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish. This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.
By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama “Hope” image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support. Merchandise can be found at www.muttslikeme.com
We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at blog.adoptapet.com, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter.
Ok, that's weird – I did not hit the “like” button – yet – and I just read this article, so is the RT function tied to the like button or something? I agree re the search saver feature – that's pretty cool!
The “like” button is acting very odd. It may need to go.
I am a rescue dog. My humans found me at a site just like adopt-a-pet [but in australia], so i know for a fact that there are many amazing dogs at places like that! : ) xox
The dog adaptation should be encouraged. I already have puppy at my home I will love to have one more. The dog and puppy site called as e-dogsite from where we purchased our puppy are showing an upcoming events for dogs. This event is organized by Ventura County Camarillo Animal Shelter in partnership with Rescue Me Inc. This event is all about finding homes for EVERY ONE of the shelter’s homeless animals. Adopters receive a FREE gift bag and vet visit, REDUCED microchip and rabies vaccine, license, and convenient one-stop shopping for the new family member! It is going to held on July 25, 2010 between 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. I am going to attend the vent with my puppy.
I love that graphic.
It's very cool, isn't it?
I love the idea of “social petworking.” Just curious: Aside from the “Search Saver” notification function, how does Adopt-A-Pet differ from, say, Petfinder? Or are they complementary, listing many of the same pets? Of course the more the merrier, but I think people are easily confused (I know I am).
Yeah to you for promoting rescue! Very cool
Thank you!
Very well said
I have two dogs from a local shelter. Please adopt and please spay and neuter your pets.