Petfinder Blog

Last week, in honor of our Big Birthday Adoption Event, we asked you to post pictures of your pets in party hats to our Facebook wall -- and 133 of you did!

All the photos were great. Here we're sharing 15 of them in honor of 15 years of Petfinder and the more than 15,000 pets who were adopted last weekend. Enjoy!

Photo: Emily Harrington

 

Photo: Amanda M. Sullivan Swain

 

Last month we asked if you had any unusual pets, because we know that dogs and cats are not people's only best friends. We asked fans of our Facebook page the same question.

Some of you have ferrets, while others keep snakes. Rats and gerbils are popular pets, too.

Jane's pet Turt is a three-toed box turtle who's been with her for 21 years. "She's not cuddly like cats or dogs, but she has a strong personality that comes out whenever I clean her enclosure," Jane says. "If I don't put things back the way she wants them, she'll 'bulldoze' them: She pushes them around until everything's organized best for her."

"Turtles make great companions, but they're definitely not for everyone," she cautions. "Some carry salmonella, so extreme care needs to be taken when handling them and they're not good pets for kids to be in charge of.

"They also have very sensitive systems that need just the right diet, light, heat and humidity, so I'd strongly recommend doing research and talking to other turtle parents before adopting a rescued turtle."

Sara has a Mexican redknee tarantula who "doesn't do much, but what she does is fascinating," Sara says. "Occasionally, we are lucky enough to watch her go through the molting process, which involves leaving behind a perfectly intact shell of herself as she leaves her too-small former body to expand."

Randi says her pet chinchillas "are better than therapy -- they always bring a smile to my face."

Annabella's pet isn't a cat, but she thinks she is. The African Grey parrot meows and hisses. "Sometimes I don't know if it's her or the cats," Anabella says.

Sally's iguana loves to cuddle up under her neck and take a nap. "Who says man's -- or girl's -- best friend has to be a dog?" she asks.

If you can't have a dog or cat in your house, consider some of the other pets listed on Petfinder. They can be very endearing. Before making a decision, check out the articles in the Petfinder library to find out more about unusual pets.

As ever, thanks for responding to our question.

As a foster mom, rescue volunteer and proud mom to a number of four-legged family members, I'm always looking for ways to curb expenses without cutting quality or care. One way I do this is by getting a little creative about cat toys, often making them myself.

Judging by a recent poll we did on Petfinder's Facebook page, I'm not alone. We asked, "Does your pet have a favorite homemade pet toy?" and watched nearly 200 responses roll in, including a few great homemade cat toy suggestions. (Have a homemade dog toy suggestion? Leave it below.)

Here are the top five homemade cat toy ideas we got back (please remember to always supervise your cat with any toys and watch out for accidental ingestion):

On Friday we shared an excerpt from Joanne Wannan's new book, New Lives: Stories of Rescued Dogs Helping, Healing and Giving Hope. (Read about Leo, a Pit Bull once owned by Michael Vick who became a therapy dog and Canine Good Citizen.)

Joanne's book is all about the ways rescued pets give us new lives -- and she's pledged to use her book to help shelter pets find new lives, too. Joanne's donating 50% of the book's profits for the months of October and November to a Petfinder.com member shelter or rescue group. This is where you come in.

A few months ago we did a giveaway with Melissa McDaniel, photographer and author of The Photo Book Projects. (Read about how Melissa is helping homeless pets.) Winners Judy and Mark got a personal photo shoot with Melissa and their adopted dog Henry.

Well, the pictures are fantastic, and so is Henry's story! Judy shared Henry's history with us:

Henry is a Yellow Lab/mutt we adopted from Animal Connections, a rescue group based in Troy, VA. I was a volunteer for Animal Connections for a year or so before we met Henry and decided to adopt him.

Lucky for us, Henry's foster dad agreed to hold Henry until we were in a position to bring him home. My husband was preparing for his comprehensive exams for his Ph D and we couldn't handle the stress of bringing a dog home until the exams ended. We like to joke that we put Henry on layaway for six weeks!

Today's guest blogger, Shauna, is a proud pet parent. She has shared her popular and entertaining blog about "dogs and other messy things," Fido and Wino, with us in preparation for Valentine's Day.

As Valentine's Day approaches you could be thinking a couple of things. Maybe you're contentedly daydreaming about perforated paper bunny cards, too-hot cinnamon hearts and the various secret admirers you are sure to have doting on you this year.

Or perhaps you are thinking, "Ugh."

You're not alone. Yahoo News reports that one in five people would prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their pet over their partner.

So here are the top ten reasons why a dog makes a better date this Valentine's Day:

1. Dogs don't talk. I could elaborate, but I think we can all agree this is a good thing.


2. If you worry your dog will destroy your lovely home four seconds after you step out the door, you can put him in a crate. The authorities frown upon this when it comes to dates.

Find out the other eight reasons after the jump!

Today's guest blogger, Dr. Lauren Brickman, started as a veterinary technician at Garden City Park in 1997 and went on to veterinary school at Ross University. She currently writes a popular pet health and care column for Petside.com that she has shared with us today.

Q: I take vitamins every day. Should my dog and cat take vitamins too?

See Dr. Lauren's answer after the jump.

Today's guest blogger, Dr. Lauren Brickman, started as a veterinary technician at Garden City Park in 1997 and went on to veterinary school at Ross University. She currently writes a popular pet health and care column for Petside.com that she has shared with us today.

Q: My cat gets awful motion sickness! Every time I take him to the vet he throws up in the car. Is there something I can give him to be able to travel short distances?

A: Many animals get motion sickness in the car, just like some people do. This may be because your cat is not used to car rides. If you only take him in the car once a year he doesn't have much time to get used to trips.

See the rest of Dr. Lauren's answer after the jump.

Today's guest blogger, Dr. Lauren Brickman, started as a veterinary technician at Garden City Park in 1997 and went on to veterinary school at Ross University. She currently writes a popular pet health and care column for Petside.com that she has shared with us today.

Q: I recently adopted a Pug. In the paperwork that came with him it says not to give him the Leptospirosis shot.

I have always given my pugs this shot, but my new pug was never given it because of the fear of reaction.

What is your opinion on this? My vet says it's up to me. I want to do what's best for my dogs.

Read Dr. Lauren's answer after the jump.

My dog Champ didn't actually participate in my wedding, but we did put a little plastic toy pit bull that looked just like him on our cake with the bride and groom figurine.

But we want to know: Was your dog (or other pet) in your wedding? Or are you planning a wedding and planning to include your pet? Send your story and pics to me at "blog (at) petfinder.com" -- or post them in the comments here. (Here's how to post a photo in the comments.)

Meg in Maine sends us this photo of her cat Bono in his tie (which, she swears, he loves!) and writes:

I adopted this little guy at The West Kennebunk Animal Shelter in Kennebunk, Maine. I was there donating my two Pomeranians' surplus of dog toys and food when I decided to walk around and check out the cats.

My intent was only to play with them and to help the volunteers clean, but this little guy latched right onto me. In fact, he lept into my arms and started purring and giving me headbutts. I put him down to go help out in another cat room, and when I returned, he did the same thing.

I put him down to tend to another cat, and he crawled in my purse ... I figured any cat with that good of taste in handbags was SURELY a keeper.

Kerry Hyde, a cat behaviorist and feral cat advocate in Florida, sends us this adorable pic of her former foster cat Brianna.

She writes:

Brianna was a feral rescue kitten who was brought into Florida's Gadsden County Humane Society's adoption program. She was my foster and she also had a "special" foot: Her back left foot had no toes. We called it her "ballet slipper foot." She is such a cutie and went to an excellent home with the lady who helps me run our non-profit, It's Meow or Never for Ferals.

Think your adopted pet is just as cute? Send me the pic at "blog (at) Petfinder.com" and I'll mail you a Petfinder bumper sticker.

Previous entry: Are your Petfinder pets cuter than these?