Over 2,000 Dogs Get New Homes Thanks to Worldwide Web
A website, launched just 17 months ago is helping to redress the balance having successfully found new, permanent homes for over 2,000 dogs and unburdening the animal welfare industry of more than £4,915,181of financial strain1.
DogsBlog.com was launched in January of 2007 in an attempt to provide a modern technological solution to an age old problem of trying to find new homes for abandoned dogs.
Tragically, thousands of dogs are abandoned every year. It is estimated that there could be as many as a 100,000 dogs seeking new homes in UK rescue shelters right now.
The people behind the DogsBlog.com website, specialist pet publishing company K9 Media Ltd, are keen to expand on the early success of the service, which is totally free to use for dog seekers and charities, and are in talks to take the concept worldwide.
Ryan O’Meara, editor in chief at K9 Magazine, came up with the concept for DogsBlog concept in the late 1990’s after watching popular animal rescue TV shows.
“I used to be fascinated with shows such as Pet Rescue where they would have a special appeal for a dog who had been looking for a home for years. At the end of each episode they would profile the dog and then the next day they would always ask people to stop calling because they’d had thousands of enquiries. This really amazed me because I always used to think, if there are thousands of people who wanted this dog, where were they for the past years whilst he’s been looking for a new home?â€
A virtual window into the world of shelter dogs
“It dawned on me that it wasn’t the fault of the people who wanted to adopt a dog, it was simply a case that there was no way of just being able to quickly see all the different dogs looking for new homes unless you physically started to visit all the rescue centres one by one.
I was passionate that a service where all the dogs could be showcased in one location would be well received. I also knew that for every single person thinking about getting a dog, somewhere in a rescue centre would be that person’s perfect pet. It just so happened that in 2007 and the popularity of blogging, we were finally able to join up all the loose ends. Thankfully it’s worked superbly for all concerned.â€
The Blue Cross, one of the charities involved with DogsBlog, is only too clear on the positive impact of the website: “The more people who see these dogs then the better chance they have of finding a home with a loving family. Prospective dog owners spend time looking at the site and can fall in love with the dog of their dreamsâ€
Dog lovers agree.
Celebrity home improvement expert Linda Barker said of DogsBlog.com
“It really helps the new owner decide on the right dog for their circumstances in the comfort of their own home. This is how dog ownership should always start, what a fabulous service for the animal loving public who are wanting to adopt!â€
A new feature for the site and one set to grow larger in 2008 is the addition of YouTube hosted videos of dogs looking for new owners.
DogsBlog co-founder Kim Bruce believes this extra innovation can get even more dogs into new homes:
“We launched DogsBlog.com to try and utilise the popularity of blog style websites, their ease of use and the user friendly way in which they allow information to presented and searched. It seemed a logical next step to add to this the popularity of videos and as it is now so simple to capture a short piece of video footage and broadcast it to a worldwide audience, we decided to experiment with a few small videos of dogs in shelters. The response was incredible with new homes being found literally within a day or two. Next year we will certainly be expanding this service.â€
It is the first website of its kind to unite so many dog welfare charities all under the same roof at the same time, which enables users to simply find the dog of their dreams without worrying about having to go from charity to charity.
Users can search for dogs by age, breed type, geographic location or even by a range of character traits such as dogs that are good with children, dogs who like cats or dogs who would be suitable to perform jobs of work.
As the site moves forward the aim is to assist more dog owners who are having troubles with their pets and are considering the possibility of rehoming them. DogsBlog.com has partnered with D.A.P (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) with the aim of offering support, advice and a solution for owners who are struggling with their dog’s behaviour. The partnership with D.A.P is also good news for those people who adopt a dog from a rehoming shelter as they can greatly assist dogs during the often stressful initial settling in period as the synthetic copy of the canine appeasing pheromone is clinically proven to comfort and reassure puppies and adult dogs alike to help them adapt to a new home.
DogsBlog.com, a shining example of modern methods and modern dog expertise helping to fight the age old problem helping homeless dogs find new, loving owners.
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Provided by K9 Media Ltd, the pet publishing company