The Internet Has Gone To The Dogs...And Cats, Birds, Fish, Gerbils And Lizards (NAPSA)—First, they became a part of the family. Then they grew to be the drivers of one of the largest spending sectors in the country. Now they’ve invaded the Internet. Who are these interlopers? Why, family pets, of course. A simple Google search of “pets” will return about 300 million hits. A Google Blog search, 3,854,049 hits. Google Shopping, probably in the works. “If you asked me three years ago what a social network was, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you,” admits Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), who launched his own blog—Pet Industry Insight—two months ago. “Now there are dozens of these sites purely dedicated to pets and pet owners, which is no wonder, given that pet owners spend over $40 billion every year another 3 million results. Quite impressive for creatures that can’t even talk, let alone use a mouse and keyboard. But their owners can, and do. And this has led to an explosion of innovative sites for pets and their owners to connect and share information. Quickly growing in popularity are social networking sites such as www.zootoo.com, which is the largest with more than 300,000 registered members and more than 500,000 pet profiles. Zootoo allows members to share information, get news, find local area services, rate pet products, post photos and videos of their pets, form peer groups, host and join events and contests, all while earning points for their shelter of choice to win a makeover. Petster.com allows pet owners to write messages to one another about shared interests and offer advice on health problems, training or local dog-friendly parks. PetSmooch is another where, according to the site, pets smooch and owners schmooze. Pawscon nect.com is a site where “pets and pet parents connect, share, educate and simply have fun.” Pawspot.com lets users arrange playdates and coordinate petsitting. Somesites are dedicated to dog lovers, like Doggyspace.com, where members supply their pups’ Increasingly, pet owners are bringing their love of animals to the Internet. “voices” and share photos, videos, advice andstories. You can create a profile for your dog and connect with other dog owners using the Dogbook application on Face book.com. Other canine sites include Dogster.com, Uniteddogs and Doggysnaps. Now there’s even a downloadable social networking widget designed to connect animal lovers with pets in need of homes, called Dogpile.com. People who download the application gain easy access to information on pets available for adoption through Petfinder.com right from their Facebook or MySpace page. A blog network called DogTime collects pet-related blogs that, according to its founders, are “handpicked as the most entertaining, informative and knowledgeable pet blogs that embody the deep passion and love people havefor their pets.” For other pet types there’s MyCatSpace.com, Unitedcats and Hamsterer.com. And if a social network hasn’t been created yet for reptile or bunny owners, it’s on them.” Vetere’s organization actively engages in the social media focused on pets. Along with his blog, APPA has its own Facebook page, YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, RSS feeds and two other blogs—one focusing on the joys of pet ownership called Pets Add Life (PAL) and the other on the world’s largest annual pet products trade show, Global Pet Expo. “This is the wave of the future. Social networking will continue to grow and becomea part of our lives and, apparently, our pets’ lives. Which meansI better start a page for my dog, Dakota, soon,” Vetere jokes. Since 1958, the American Pet Products Association has been the leading not-for-profit trade association serving the interests of the pet products industry. APPA membership includes more than 1,000 pet product manufacturers, their representatives, importers and livestock suppliers. APPA’s mission is to promote, develop and advance pet ownership and the pet products industry, and to provide the services necessary to help its members prosper. Visit www.americanpetproducts.org for more information.
