Your ‘mouse’ can net pets from anywhere

People in Gallatin can now use a mouse to find a pet — a computer mouse, that is. Gallatin Area Animal Welfare Alliance has joined 90 others in Missouri as a member of Petfinder.com, the largest and oldest virtual animal shelter.

The Web site represents about 86,800 homeless animals at any one time in more than 4,200 shelters and rescue groups nationwide and in Canada.

Potential adopters can extend their search beyond the local area by entering search criteria on the Petfinder home page. The computer generates a list of potential pets, ranked by proximity to the visitor’s zip code. All that’s left to do is click on the animal’s name for more information. Each shelter or rescue group handles its own adoptions. Petfinder.com facilitated over half a million adoptions last year alone.

And now, Petfinder.com has taken some of the uncertainly out of adopting a pet. Every dog or cat adopted from a Petfinder.com member shelter or rescue group in licensed states is eligible for a gift of the first two months of ShelterCare pet health insurance, paid for by Petfinder.com. The ShelterCare program is owned by Pethealth, Inc., which also owns the PetCare Pet Insurance programs.

The ShelterCare program is the first of its kind. While pet insurance has been available privately, never before has a plan been developed to fit the specific needs of pets as they make the transition from homelessness to family.

“We hope that the gift will add to the rewards for adopting a shelter pet, the greatest of which, of course, is unconditional love,” says Betsy Saul, president and cofounder of Petfinder.com.

Petfinder.com has partnered with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) for shelter outreach. The ASPCA also provides an extensive library on the site, giving pet owners a one-stop resource for pet related issues.

Petfinder.com is free to potential adopters and to shelters and rescue groups.