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Find a pet online
Are you in the market for a furry, four-legged friend? If you are looking for a dog, cat or maybe even something a little more exotic there is no need to look further than your own computer. Searching for the perfect pet online has never been easier. There are numerous pet adoption sites on the Web, with no shortage of homeless pets looking for the right human companion.
One of the most popular and comprehensive pet adoption sites on the Web is Petfinder.com (http://www.petfinder.com/). Use Petfinder to look for particular cat and dog breeds; you can limit your search by age, size and gender. Petfinder also provides listings for turtles, snakes, ferrets, lizards, iguanas, gerbils, hamsters, horses, pigs and just about any animal you can think of adding to your household.
Another popular pet adoption site is 1-800-Save-A-Pet.com (http://www.1-800-save-a-pet.com/). This site specializes in dogs and cats. It works much like Petfinder in that you can search for pets in your local area. 1-800-Save-A-Pet also lets you limit your search by breed, age, weight, color and distance that you are willing to travel.
You can use Petfinder and 1-800-Save-A-Pet whether you are interested in a pure bred or a true Heinz-57-variety of mutt or cat. Both Web sites work with local shelters, such as the SPCA or Humane Society, as well as other rescue organizations, such as those who deal with specific breeds. Both sites also provide helpful information as to whether the animals have special needs and are good with children or other pets in the household.
For the dog lovers out there who are interested in specific breed rescue, take a look at some of the breed-specific adoption sites on the Web. An upstate New York rescue organization GRROWLS-Inc. (http://www.grrowls.org/) places golden retrievers in homes across the state. If you love the beauty and grace of a greyhound, take a look at Buffalo Greyhound Adoption (http://www.b-g-a.org/). If a smaller dog is more your speed, check out Buffalo Pug and Small Breed Rescue (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/NY425.html). Love the baying beagle? Find adoptable dogs from Ontario on Big On Beagles (http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/bigonbeagles.html).
For more traditional pet adoption, the Buffalo Humane Society (http://www.buffalohumane.org/) and Erie County SPCA (http://www.yourspca.org/site/PageServer) also maintain online lists of animals in need of homes.
While there is nothing like the loyal companionship and lifelong friendship of a pet, if you are not quite in a situation to take in an animal right now, you can get a cute and cuddly fix by visiting Cuteoverload.com (http://www.cuteoverload.com/). While on Cuteoverload, you can scroll through the home page or click on the category links—there are categories for birds, bunnies, kittens, pups and many more. For a video look at some animal cuties, visit the YouTube Pets and Animals section at http://www.youtube.com/categories_portal?c=15&e=1.
—Linda Hasman, Health Sciences Library