For those of you in the Green Bay area who have been looking to adopt a new pet and have been looking and looking at regular brick and mortar shelters with no success don't give up! The digital age has expanded your horizons.
While there is nothing like visiting a shelter and seeing all those busy volunteers and happy, furry faces... if you are looking for something specific in your next pet you may be waiting a while. Good shelters don't usually recruit certain types of animals and many just don't have the time or resources to keep extensive call back lists of hundreds of potential adopters. Luckily for you, all you need is a computer and an internet connection to expand your search tenfold.
Websites abound to help you find what you are looking for but you need to be realistic about your search. If you find something you like it is a good idea to call first and get further details on things like adoption policies, travel details and whether or not the animal is still there (sometimes updates are a last priority for rescues). You can get a general feel for the pet but you should definitely visit the facility to see how the animals are cared for and what they are really like.
Most local shelters and breed rescue groups have their animals listed on their own sites and can refer you to others but often they are all cross listed on one of the three most popular sites. The site http://www.petfinder.com is by far the most well known and often used. They have been around a long time and have a great reputation for working with rescue groups and shelters everywhere. You can search by area, rescue and/or breed type as well as more specifics like sex or age and they even have informative articles to help you read up on breeds of animals and their care. The newer site http://www.petango.com is gaining popularity with shelters in our area due to the fun way they present the animals, their integrated store, smart phone applications and their ease of use. If you don't care for all the flash of a site like Petango, http://www.adoptapet.com has a reasonable amount of easily searched listings presented in a more textual, matter-of-fact format.
So remember, next time your feeling frustrated at the lack of selection at you local shelter don't give in and buy a pet...visit your computer instead. Good luck!
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