Local pet rescue organization competes against online animal sales
By Britt Staniar
Faced with packed cages and a small market for local customers, the Rockbridge SPCA and other local animal rescue organizations are taking advantage of the growing online market for pets.
Marvin Rhae, the President of the Board at Rockbridge SPCA, said she made the decision to list the pets at her facility online because she thought it would increase the chances that their dogs and cats would be adopted. It turned out that she was right.
"We have people from all over the country coming here [having] seen the animals online," said Rhae. "They're driving from anywhere from Long Island to Vermont to North Carolina to adopt one of our animals--it's been incredibly successful."
Rhae said that there aren't enough people who want pets in Rockbridge County to satisfy the supply of pets that the Rockbridge County SPCA takes in. That's where help from the internet comes in. Rhae credits the increased exposure that her pets receive online to a near doubling in the save rates at the Rockbridge County SPCA.
The founder of local cat rescue organization Cats Unlimited, Dianne (who didn't want her last name to be identified for fear of cats being dumped on her property), said that listing her rescued cats on the internet has brought her cats a lot more attention.
"We have a lot of people who see our advertisements, check out our Web site, and then contact us about adopting one of our cats," said Dianne. "The site is one of our biggest assets."
In addition, both the Rockbridge SPCA and Cats Unlimited list their pets on Petfinder.com, a Web site with more than 180,000 shelter pets and 8,000 shelters listed on its pages nationwide.
Sites like Petfinder.com, which was founded in 1998, are designed to increase the exposure of rescued animals online in hopes of drawing people to shelters to meet the animals.
And it's not just rescue organizations that are taking advantage of the online markets for pets. Last year, approximately 200,000 dogs were purchased from breeders listing their dogs online, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
Animal Rights activists have expressed concerns that many of those pets are being bred in what they say are cruel conditions called puppy mills. Puppy mills are outdoor breeding facilities that attempt to raise and sell as many puppies as possible in order to make a profit. Organizations such as the Doris Day Animal League have created campaigns to increase online regulation of puppy sales in order to prevent what they say are unfair conditions for dogs.
As for the Rhae, she encourages people to avoid buying pets online because it may be impossible to tell whether the animal will make a real fit with the owner. Instead, she urges people to check out the dogs online, and then go to the facility and make sure the animal they see online is really the right one for them.
Rockbridge SPCA President Marvin Rhae
talks about why she listed her pets online
ON THE WEB
Check out the dogs at the Rockbridge SPCA
Catsunlimited.org: Rockbridge County rescue organization
Petfinder.com: Find a pet at a shelter close to you
Animal rights activists campaign against puppy mills
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisor: Prof. Doug Cumming
Editing supervisor: Prof. Pamela Luecke
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd