Saturday April 11, 2009
PetFinder.my
www.petfinder.my
In March last year, Andy Koh, 28, came across a community of people who rescue and foster homeless animals when he was looking for a suitable home for an injured puppy he had rescued.
When he learned that the most frequent problem these people faced was finding homes for the animals, Koh and his business partner in ecommerce solutions, Ezer Ratchaga, 37 , decided to create a comprehensive website for cats and dogs that brought together pet rescuers, fosterers and adopters.
On April 18, 2008, Petfinders.my was born.
The website is supported by SPCA and PAWS, and incorporates, among others, adoption p rofiles of pets, lostand- found pets, discussion forums, classifieds, information about caring for pets and microchipping, and a Hall of Shame that exposes people who are cruel to animals.
PetFinder.my has so far helped 1,139 animals find a home, with another 639 still looking. Members update the website themselves, posting information on animals up for adoption together with their own contact details.
“I’ve al ways placed ads in the paper offering puppies for free. When you list something like that, you will definitely get enquiries, so why not get all the pet rescuers to list their animals in one place?” Ratchaga explained.
“SPCA told us that most of their calls are because of our website. It’s a win-win situation because the animals get adopted and don’t have to be put down,” said Ratchaga.
Although animal adoption is what PetFinder champions, the website stresses responsible adoption.
“We want the public to be more informed about the animal they are adopting.
They must ask questions about the breed, potential diseases, maintenance and, most importantly, vaccination. Although vaccination is legally not required, owners should nevertheless vaccinate and deworm their pets. Neuter them when it is time, so that there would not be unwanted animals in the future,” Ratchaga urged.
“Many countries practise TNR (Trap, Neuter & Release) Programmes where strays are caught, neutered and released to live out their lives. If our local councils can implement this programme instead of paying bounty for animals, our stray problem would be drastically reduced over time as they won’t be able to breed,” added Ratchaga.
“We have around 10,000 hits to our websites every day and our forums are very active,” Koh chipped in.
“It is a vibrant place to ask questions and look for information. We knew we were able to make a difference when our website helped reunite an owner with her dog Mago, which she posted on our Lost & Found page. Mago was found by another member at a car wash,” he added.
One project that PetFinder.my is currently pursuing is the compilation of microchip information in one central database.
“We want people to microchip their pets so that it would be easy to reunite pets with their owners. Most of the information in the microchip are outdated because different vets and organisations hold different databases.
We are working with vets, organisations and, hopefully, the local councils to compile a central database and make it easily available on-line.
“Another idea is for the local council to make it compulsory to microchip your pet. It could be given out as a package when an owner applies for a licence,” said Koh.
PetFinder.my has an application which can be implemented in Facebook and blogs whereby visitors to your site can view current animals up for adoption. Simply download the application from the link at the top right of their website, and you could be saving lives.
PetFinder.my celebrates their first anniversary this month.
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