PetLynx 101: Why should pet families pre-register before adopting?

Bet ya can't pick just one!

Adopting a new animal companion is exciting! But it can also be intimidating and overwhelming .... even for those of us who have been through it before!

There is a lot of emotion involved in that first week and, because of this, new pet families often lose sight of some of the responsibilities that come with their new bundle of joy. This distraction is reason enough to encourage pet families to pre-register with PetLynx  before they get to the shelter.

Twitter-A-Critter

Celebrities use Twitter to help save the lives of shelter pets.

Adopt-a-Pet.com, North America’s largest non-profit pet adoption web service, announces the official launch of TwitterACritter, a new social media campaign that uses Twitter to spread the word about adoptable pets in shelters.

On the campaign web site, www.TwitterACritter.com, pet lovers can select one of the 130,000 homeless dogs, cats, and other pets listed on Adopt-a-Pet.com and tweet a link to that pet's information.

"TwitterACritter is a fun, easy way for people to actively save the life of a shelter pet, even if they can't adopt one themselves or afford to donate," says Abbie Moore, executive director of Adopt-a-Pet.com. "Homeless pets are powerless to promote themselves to potential adopters, so it's up to those of us who love animals to lend a hand, and a set of thumbs, and tweet about them. In these difficult economic times, when so many pets are being relinquished to shelters, they need our help more than ever."

Already the campaign has gotten a boost from several celebrities who have participated and encouraged their Twitter followers to do the same. Since the TwitterACritter feature became available in mid-August, Kevin Nealon, Alyssa Milano, Denise Richards, Kristin Chenoweth, and several other celebrities have taken up the cause and tweeted links to shelter pets listed on Adopt-a-Pet.com. According to Moore, "In each case, immediately after the celebrity's tweet, hundreds of their followers tweeted homeless pets as well… and their followers tweet, and so on and so on. The celebrities create an avalanche of compassion."

"The bottom line is that if enough people see a shelter pet, that pet gets adopted. There is no better way to expose shelter pets to as many potential adopters as possible than through Twitter," continues Moore. "It's no exaggeration to say that a single tweet can save a life. Imagine the impact it would have if everyone tweeted just one critter a day!"

Check out TwitterACritter to see photos of celebrity participants.

Pre-Registration for Adoption

Adopting a new pet is overwhelming even for those of us who have been through it before. There's a lot of emotion involved in that first week and because of this, new pet families often lose sight of some of the responsibilities that come with their new bundle of joy. This distraction is reason enough to encourage pet families to pre-register before they get to the shelter. By creating an account for themselves before they walk in your door, adopters not only save you time and money but they prove that they are serious about taking on the responsibility associated with having a new pet. It encourages the pet family's understanding that they are accountable for keeping their information current and that PetLynx is the place to do it. By the time Fluffy wanders out the door for the first time, your pet families will already know that the first step includes PetLynx--it will be old hat. Nose kisses, 'potty' training successes, and a multitude of firsts will only hold an allure for so long and encouraging your pet families to be responsible pet owners is what really leads to increased recoveries, shorter shelter stays, and great HomeSafe stories.

AnimalTRACS™ reduces your workload

More often than not, when you hear someone refer to AnimalTRACS™, he or she is talking about the automated Lost and Found features it contains. Although these features are truly one-of-a-kind and certainly worth recognizing, the real treasure of AnimalTRACS™ is the amount of time it can save your staff. With most registration systems, the process involves paper forms that must be hand written, mailed or faxed in, and then finally entered into a stand-alone database by staff at a microchip company. Not only is this process time consuming but it facilitates mix-ups or misplaced data. By allowing pet families to register themselves before entering your facility and update their own records after they’ve left, AnimalTRACS™ reduces the industry workload by over 90 percent. It also encourages pet families to keep their information current and thereby supports a culture of responsible pet ownership in your community. The next time you mention AnimalTRACS™ to someone, tout the Lost and Found capabilities—they’re second to none—but don’t neglect to mention the other benefits it has for your organization and for the whole industry.