Introducing My Pet Street

Since my very first post in March '07, today's blog entry is one I've been looking forward to writing. It introduces My Pet Street, an environment that provides support, resources, and services for busy people, like you and me, with pets.

My Pet Street started as an idea when I was working as a Vice President for a Fortune 500 company. With a busy travel schedule, I often wondered how I would get everything done before rushing off and catching yet another plane. Would there be time to walk the dog? Who would make sure the cats got their medications?

I knew there were services in my neighborhood that could help me, but there was never enough time to be out-and-about talking with other pet owners to glean this important information -- trusted information -- which is still largely communicated by word-of-mouth.

I dreamed about a solution of putting a business together that could provide community-based, quality, trusted information. Busy people with pets know that this reliable information is essential when addressing the needs of these special members of the family.

Today, the launch of My Pet Street is the realization of that initial dream.

Some key features of My Pet Street include:

• Pet News -- selected news, pictures, and videos that are the “best of the best” available on the Web.
• My Pet Needs -- local and locally-rated service providers. Take some time to rate your favorite providers. If they are not listed, let us know and we can add them.
• Pets 411 -- quickly accessed and efficiently organized expert opinions, pet owner insights, and question/answer forums giving you the best information available for your pet. Don't be shy about sharing your insights on your favorite pet!
• PetALERTZ -- a tag that reunites lost pets with their people by matching pet identity to an on-line, community-based database. This program saves lost pets from trauma at unfamiliar facilities where microchip information can be read. It takes only a minute to register for PetALERTZ, and the tag is cool! (Chocolate is modeling it here.)

It is my sincere wish that you find tremendous value at My Pet Street. I invite you to visit the site, become a community member, and share your experiences and ideas. As a community, we will build the best overall portal for our furred, feathered, and scaled family members.

My blog will continue at My Pet Street. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the neighborhood...

Connie

Make me a match

When it comes to adding a cat to our family, we've always followed the strategy of letting them find us - whether it's via a friend, neighbor, or local shelter. In a group of cats or kittens, there will be one that stands out by being too cute, very ugly, loudly vocal, or just irresistible, and by doing so, becomes a part of our family.

But now there's a more sophisticated way to ensure the kitty you bring home integrates within your family.

The Central California Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has joined other shelters in the United States in putting together a personality test for cats. Called "Meet Your Match: Feline-ality", the test determines whether a cat is an outgoing "party animal" or a shyer "private investigator" type. The shelter then queries the prospective adopter for the type of cat they'd like to have in their home (lap cat, hunter) and makes the match accordingly. The good news is that with this upfront work, the return and euthanasia rates have decreased as much as 40 percent. Making it much closer to a match made in heaven...

Check out the full description of the Feline-ality program at the ASPCA.

Play it again, Nora....

Usually, we who live in the San Francisco Bay Area enjoy fairly even and temperate weather. Not so today. It's payback time... so while the winds gale and the rains drench, enjoy this CBS Morning Show piece on Nora, the piano-playing cat. I've seen her clips on YouTube, but this report gives a wider story of how one cat's 15 minutes of fame keeps playing on... enjoy...

Don't we all?

Help with those resolutions

I love reading statistics about us pet lovers as a group, and the latest Pet Age magazine has a couple worth sharing, especially as we start implementing our resolutions to lose weight, be more active, stay mentally aware, take better care of ourselves, etc., etc.

• Almost half (45 percent) of all pet owners feel they are more active after adopting a pet. This is a benefit that pays off both physically (exercise) and mentally (staving off depression).
  
• A bit more than a quarter of women (26 percent) reported losing weight once a pet was part of their family.
• As we get older (whether or not we're in denial), a pet can help improve memory, enhance quality of life, and enable better health through lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Almost 70 percent of those surveyed said they look forward to each new day because they have a pet in their lives.
  

One additional resolution I have is when I look to add another pet to our family, it will be through a rescue group. There's one for every breed and species, as well as the services provided by the local Humane Society. A book that I'll read beforehand is Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need, which will help ensure the new guy or gal settles in successfully.

Looking forward a fun and rewarding New Year...

Happy New Year

I hope you take this day as one more to enjoy life's party. There's time to get down to business tomorrow and deal with those resolutions and other big things we have in store for ourselves in 2008. May your New Year be very productive and prosperous.