 Animals Online
First Published: December 1999
Last Update: September 2002
Author: Computer Partners
The year 2002 has inspired global ingenuity in just about
every area known to humanity. Animals are no exception to this trend and there
is no better place to promote such ideas than online.
Take the Iams Company located in Dayton, Ohio. The company
wants world animal lovers to participate in an online survey to determine the
most popular dog and cat of the 20th Century. Some of the nominees in the dog
category include, Lassie, Old Yeller, Snoopy, Benji and Lady. In the cat
category some favorites are, Garfield, Felix, Cat in the Hat, Sylvester and
Elsa.
But not all online animal ventures are just for fun. The
Million Pet Mercy Mission is an example of how three online pet sites have
banded together to help the down and out of the pet world. Their goal is to find
homes for 1 million pets sometime in the year 2000. The venture which kicked off
in October is being coordinated by three online sites, ASPCA
The American Society for the Prevention and Cruelty of Animals Petfinder.org
and Petopia.com.
According to Andrea Reisman of Petopia.com the purpose of the
program "is to use the power of the Internet to bring together animal
lovers and organizations and reduce the pet overpopulation problem by
1,000,000."
According to Katie Dean in the October issue of Wired News
the online database at Petfinder.org allows pet-lovers to search for the type of
animal and breed they want and to find the animal shelters close to their area.
In October they had 304 shelters from across the US in their database
participating in the mission.
She quoted Bonnie Hensel of the Door Count Humane Society in
Wisconsin as saying that one woman had come from Rhode Island to adopt a pet.
Elaine Green of the Dearborn Animal Shelter in Michigan was also quoted as
saying that, "We get email from all over the United States inquiring about
the pets we have available."
Finding your pet online is one thing but expecting it to be
shipped to you is quite another. Kim Girard and Troy Wolverton of CNET News.com
reported in August, that there is a much greater risk for online companies
selling live pets in comparison to other perishable goods.
They quoted Carrie Ardito, a research associate in Forrester
Research's e-commerce group, as saying that, "If Webvan ships a rotten
apple to a customer, for example, the customer might be upset but can always ask
for a refund. However, it's a far different story if a pet store customer
receives a dead animal in the mail. 'I think the pet retailers that have decided
to do this are taking a big risk with their customers, especially if there are
children involved, which there usually are,' she said."
The article also talked about the Flying Fish
Express, which
was recently sold to Petstore.com. The company which sells more than 3,000
saltwater fish and species online includes a '"return dead on
arrivals" policy and a "five-day arrive alive, stay alive"
guarantee.'
Flying Fish owner Eric Silverman was quoted as saying that
the species sent directly from his Los Angeles headquarters to customers were
likely to be fresher than those in stores, where the buyer has no idea how long
they had been there. Silverman individually bags all the species and has them
sent in foam coolers via Federal Express Delivery.
The main focus of the online pet industry has been in the
sale of pet products. Reuters reported in May, that more than half of U.S.
households owned some kind of pet, and the demand for products is phenomenal.
Jay Hoag of Technology Crossover Ventures, who had invested
$9 million into start-up Petopia.com. estimates the pet market to be a $23
billion a year industry. Tim Clark of CNET News.com who had interviewed Hoag in
May, also said that "pet store entrepreneurs and investors alike both brag
that the pet market, unlike many other retail categories, isn't seasonal and
that pet owners are loyal to brands. They also love to talk about their pets,
which is why community and chat areas are major features of all the online pet
stores."
In June Amazon.com got into the action with its investment in
Pets.com. In an article in the E-Commerce Times by Robert Conlin it said that
Amazon.com and two venture capital companies had invested $50 million (US$) in
Pets.com . The investment was to push Amazon's stake in the company to 54
percent.
According to InternetNews.com in September PETsMART.com had
secured second-round venture capital funding in excess of $50 million. The
financing was provided by PETsMART Inc. and by the company's initial outside
investors, including idealab Capital Partners and Global Retail Partners and Big
Dog Holdings Inc.
According to the article, PetsMart.com will use the financing
to accelerate its national marketing programs and to continue its site
development.
In August InternetNews.com reported that Online grocery
retailer NetGrocer.com had added a pet supply center to its site with products
for dogs, cats, gerbils, hamsters and birds. The company provides shipping
charges that are based on order amount rather than on weight, which provides a
big savings to consumers considering the weight of some pet foods.
In an article in Reuters in August it was reported that in
the several months prior, at least a half a dozen companies had set up some form
of pet shop online and at least four had received more than $10 million in
venture capital.
In late September John Lewell of UK.internet.com reported
that Damian Aspinall, whose father John Aspinall founded Howletts Wild Animal
Park, had launched the world's first virtual zoo at Howletts.net
At the new site visitors can operate live controllable
webcams, zooming in on endangered species as the animals move around. African
elephants, Siberian tigers, and gorillas are just a few of the animals that can
be viewed.
The webcams stream live video which run 24 hours a day. They
are best viewed during daylight hours, 6.00am until 6.00pm GMT. These webcams
are interactive and the simple controls enable the visitor to pan around, tilt
the camera and zoom in on the animals.
Howletts Wild Animal Park, which is a charitable foundation,
is located at Bekesbourne near Canterbury, England. It is known internationally
for its work with rare animals.
There are also a host of online animal publications out
there. Here are just a few you can check out.
There is also an online pet
cemetery and even sites where you can buy pet
urns and other memorials.
If you would like more information on purebred dogs, almost
every breed has its own site. This Breed
site provides information on the top 50. Below are just a few of the hundreds
that are out there.
Another dog informative site is the American
Kennel Club. If you are looking for pet friendly hotels check out petvacations.com
Pet Supplies at HealthyPetStore.com
We offer a wide variety of premium products for dogs, cats, birds, small animals, and more. Throughout our website you will
also find valuable tips and articles for raising your pet.
Below are some Books You May Find Interesting. Click on the title to learn
more about them.
- Pets
Welcome : A Guide to Hotels, Inns and Resorts That Welcome You and Your
Pet by Kathleen Fish, Robert Fish, Judy Marks (Editor)
- Herbs
for Pets by Greg L. Tilford, Mary Wulff-Tilford, Gregory, L. Tilford
- Living
With Dogs : Collecting and Traditions, at Home and A field by Larry
Sheehan, Carol Sama Sheehan, Kathryn George George, Laurence Sheehan,
William Stites (Photographer)
- Dogs
That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home : And Other Unexplained
Powers of Animals : An Investigation by Rupert Sheldrake
- Good
Owners Great Dogs by Brian Kilcommons, Sarah Wilson
- Dancing
With Cats by Burton Silver, Heather Busch (Preface), Shakya Bahrain
- Why
Cats Paint : A Theory of Feline Aesthetics by Heather Busch
(Contributor), Silver Burton, Burton Silver
- Dr.
Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats by
Richard H. Pitcairn (Preface), Susan Hubble Pitcairn (Preface)
- Album
of Horses by Marguerite Henry, Wesley Dennis (Illustrator)
- Gerbils
(Barrons Complete Owner's Manual) by Englebert Kotter, Ehrenfried
Ehrenstein, Christine Steimer (Photographer), Engelbert Kotter,
Engelbert Kottler
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