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Meet the Dogs Blogging Their Way to a New Life
BRITAIN'S largest
animal charity the RSPCA revealed that the credit crunch has lead to
a record number of dogs being abandoned as financial constraints
take their toll on pet owners. However, a new website, launched just
17 months ago is helping to redress the balance having successfully
found new, permanent homes for over 2,000 dogs and unburdening the
animal welfare industry of more than £4,915,181of financial strain.
DogsBlog.com was launched in January of 2007 in an attempt to
provide a modern technological solution to an age old problem of
trying to find new homes for abandoned dogs. Tragically, thousands
of dogs are abandoned every year. It is estimated that there could
be as many as a 100,000 dogs seeking new homes in UK rescue shelters
right now. The people behind the DogsBlog.com website,
specialist pet publishing company K9 Media Ltd, are keen to expand
on the early success of the service, which is totally free to use
for dog seekers and charities, and are in talks to take the concept
worldwide.
Ryan O'Meara, editor in chief at K9 Magazine, came up with the
concept for DogsBlog concept in the late 1990's after watching
popular animal rescue TV shows. "I used to be fascinated
with shows such as Pet Rescue where they would have a special appeal
for a dog who had been looking for a home for years. At the end of
each episode they would profile the dog and then the next day they
would always ask people to stop calling because they'd had thousands
of enquiries. This really amazed me because I always used to think,
if there are thousands of people who wanted this dog, where were
they for the past years whilst he's been looking for a new home?
It dawned on me that it wasn't the fault of the people who
wanted to adopt a dog, it was simply a case that there was no way of
just being able to quickly see all the different dogs looking for
new homes unless you physically started to visit all the rescue
centres 1 by 1.
I was passionate that a service where all the dogs could be
showcased in one location would be well received. I also knew that
for every single person thinking about getting a dog, somewhere in a
rescue centre would be that person's perfect pet. It just so
happened that in 2007 and the popularity of blogging, we were
finally able to join up all the loose ends. Thankfully it's worked
superbly for all concerned."
The Blue Cross, one of the charities involved with DogsBlog, is only
too clear on the positive impact of the website:- "The more
people who see these dogs then the better chance they have of
finding a home with a loving family. Prospective dog owners spend
time looking at the site and can fall in love with the dog of their
dreams"
Celebrity home improvement expert Linda Barker said of DogsBlog.com:-
"It really helps the new owner decide on the right dog for their
circumstances in the comfort of their own home. This is how dog
ownership should always start, what a fabulous service for the
animal loving public who are wanting to adopt!"
A new feature for the site and one set to grow larger in 2008 is the
addition of YouTube hosted videos of dogs looking for new owners.
DogsBlog co-founder Kim Bruce believes this extra innovation can get
even more dogs into new homes:- "We launched DogsBlog.com to
try and utilise the popularity of blog style websites, their ease of
use and the user friendly way in which they allow information to
presented and searched. It seemed a logical next step to add to this
the popularity of videos and as it is now so simple to capture a
short piece of video footage and broadcast it to a worldwide
audience, we decided to experiment with a few small videos of dogs
in shelters. The response was incredible with new homes being found
literally within a day or 2. Next year we will certainly be
expanding this service."
It is the first website of its kind to unite so many dog welfare
charities all under the same roof at the same time, which enables
users to simply find the dog of their dreams without worrying about
having to go from charity to charity. Users can search for
dogs by age, breed type, geographic location or even by a range of
character traits such as dogs that are good with children, dogs who
like cats or dogs who would be suitable to perform jobs of work.
As the site moves forward the aim is to assist more dog owners who
are having troubles with their pets and are considering the
possibility of re-homing them. DogsBlog.com has partnered with D.A.P
(Dog Appeasing Pheromone) with the aim of offering support, advice
and a solution for owners who are struggling with their dog's
behaviour. The partnership with D.A.P is also good news for those
people who adopt a dog from a re-homing shelter as they can greatly
assist dogs during the often stressful initial settling in period as
the synthetic copy of the canine appeasing pheromone is clinically
proven to comfort and reassure puppies and adult dogs alike to help
them adapt to a new home.
DogsBlog.com, a shining example of modern methods and modern dog
expertise helping to fight the age old problem helping homeless dogs
find new, loving owners.
DogsBlog.com Key Facts at May 27 2008:-
Dogs Available For Adoption:- 861
Dogs Now Re-Homed:- 2025
Number of Breeds:- 92
Number of Rescue Shelters:- 92
'Luckiest' Dog Name:- Max, is the most popular name
amongst rehomed dogs
'Unluckiest' Breed:- Greyhounds, followed by Staffordshire
Bull Terriers are the most common breeds looking for new homes
'Rarest' Breed:- Thai Ridegback. The less common
'cousin'
of the more well known Rhodesian Ridgeback |
WEB
WRITERS NEEDED TO UPDATE TOWN GUIDES
ARRIVA North
West and Wales is asking for bus users in Liverpool to put their
local knowledge to good use and help the company update its town
guides website.
The
www.arrivatownguides.co.uk website was launched last
year following an appeal for suggestions, providing advice and ideas
to bus users across the region. Using the information
provided, Arriva created online guides for each of its operating
areas across the UK. In North West and Wales region this includes
Chester, Liverpool, St Helens and Southport. And there has been high
demand for the sites since their launch. Now the bus company
wants to increase the amount of locations and activities, ensuring
the website remains current and a valuable guide for people in the
area.
Nick Gordon, marketing manager for Arriva North West and Wales,
said:- “We launched our town guides website to provide a
beneficial resource for the local community.
The response we
received at the time and throughout the year has been fantastic and
now we want to build on that. One group who may be able to
make even more use of the site than they could last year is people
aged over 60. With the changes to the national concessionary travel
scheme meaning that free bus travel is no longer limited your local
authority, people over 60 with a valid bus pass can travel to new
destinations during off-peak hours at no extra cost.
This means it is the perfect time for people to visit the Arriva
Town Guides site, whether it is for information on new places to go
in the area or to add their own new suggestions of places they’ve
seen on their travels. What makes our site different to others
that exist is that all our suggestions come from real people in real
places.
The site is free of charge and has no agenda in promoting
one place over another.
I’m sure that our customers will have some amazing suggestions for
places to visit and we want them to get in touch to help us update
and expand the site and make it even bigger and better.
We are
looking for a wide range of suggestions from the best place to go
for fish and chips to the perfect park for a picnic.”
The online site can be found at
www.arrivatownguides.co.uk, so anyone wanting
to make a nomination should either visit the site and fill in the
contact form.
9
in 10 want transparent ticket prices, says Which?
RECENT
research carried out by Which? showed that fees can add up to 30% to
the price of a ticket; and agents don’t even have to refund booking
charges if an event is cancelled.
4 in 5 of those surveyed
thought that booking fees were too expensive and don't reflect the
value of the service. A snapshot of the music industry showed that
REM fans incurred booking fees that ranged from £10.50 to £13.50 for
2 tickets, with postage costs of up to £5.50.
Theatre-lovers fared worse as fees added 30% to the cost of 2
tickets to see Buddy Holly through Theatre Tickets Direct.
Neil Fowler, Editor, Which?, says:- “Airlines have taken a
bashing recently for adding sneaky extra charges to the cost of
tickets, but they’re not the only ones; we found ticket agencies
hiking the cost of tickets by nearly a 3rd with various fees and
postage costs. These charges only become apparent when people are
well into the buying process, that they should be made clear up front so
that people can compare prices properly.”
People buying tickets through the secondary market, such as Seatwave,
Viagogo, No1soldoutevents and Getmein, should be especially careful
– they have fewer rights and mark-up could be very high.
Which? has the following advice for concerned ticket-holders:-
Venue vs agent
The event promoter, venue or performer contracts to provide the show
for you, but if you buy from an agent it is their responsibility to
get the ticket to you in time
Wrong seat?
If you turn up to an event to find your sitting in the gods instead
of the front row you paid for, you can claim the price difference –
complain to the agent as soon as you can!
Pay by credit card
If you’re splashing out and spending over £100 it make sense to pay
on credit card – the credit card provider is jointly responsible if
the promoted breaches the contract, so you’re covered if an event is
cancelled
Refunds
For fans who’ve bought a ticket with the hope of seeing the latest
Joseph or Nancy, don’t expect any refunds if the show’s headline
star is replaced by an understudy!
Secondary market
Check, check and double-check the terms of the secondary site before
you buy. The original authorised seller doesn’t have to
act on a complaint you have, even if an event is cancelled.
More information about legal rights when buying a ticket through an
agent can be found at:-
www.which.co.uk/consumerrights.
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