PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH GET YOUR PET
Hi, I’m Gary Childs, Volunteer Team Lead of Project P.E.T. – the positive reinforcement-based canine training program at ACCT Philly. I’m pictured here with my two rescue dogs, LaLa and Cookie Monster, both ACCT alumni. I’ve been volunteering at the shelter for the past ten years and I’ve worked with many amazing dogs, cats, and all sorts of other companion animals. Today, I’m thrilled to talk to you about Get Your Pet, the online community that connects people who need to find a new home for their companion animal with people who want to adopt a new buddy.
I recently learned about Get Your Pet, and I’m super excited about what this service can do. Animals that need to be re-homed can be listed on the Get Your Pet website by their current guardians. Potential adopters can search by zip code for lovable, furry friends, and use the site to contact pet guardians to arrange meet-ups or get more information about a particular pet they’re interested in adopting. If everyone agrees it’s a good match, the adoption can be completed!
BENEFITS OF GET YOUR PET
This model of pet adoption has a number of important benefits. First and foremost, it reduces the stress on the pet. Being in a kennel or shelter can be very difficult on a pet. Suddenly, they’re without their guardian, their home, their cushy bed, their favorite toys – their whole routine changes. Shelters are full of new sounds and smells, not to mention unfamiliar animals. As you can imagine, these changes can be very scary and overwhelming for a pet. There are many amazing welfare staff and volunteers who do their best to make shelters as comfortable as possible, but a shelter just isn’t a home. With a service like Get Your Pet, animals avoid entering a shelter or rescue service entirely and remain in their home where they maintain a normal routine (like diet and potty schedule).
If you’re reading this, you’re someone who cares and wants to help animals in need. If you know someone who is looking for a new furry buddy or someone who needs to surrender their pet, tell them about Get Your Pet. You can help make a difference.