Animal Planet’s Petfinder.com Offers Disaster Prep
-- Online Resource Helps Families Protect Themselves and Pets --
July 23, 2007
(Silver Spring, MD) Petfinder.com announced today that it has created the Petfinder.com Disaster Preparedness Kit, a powerful tool that will empower families all over the country with the resources and information they need to protect themselves and their pets in the event of a natural disaster.
Located at www.petfinder.com/disaster/aern.html, the disaster preparedness kit includes a tip sheet highlighting simple preventive measures to implement at home, a check list with critical items to have on-hand, as well as suggestions of how to put together a plan that is appropriate for your lifestyle.
“It is a top priority for Petfinder.com to continue to help families ensure the highest level of safety for their pets before, during and after a natural disaster,” said Betsy Saul, co-founder of Animal Planet’s Petfinder.com. “We always hope each hurricane season will be quiet and uneventful, but always need to be one step ahead and plan for the worst.”
In addition to a listing of other important online resources for pet owners, also included on the disaster preparedness page is important information on the Petfinder.com Emergency Response Network, which provided an interactive listing of displaced pets in past disasters. The nework was responsible for reuniting over 2,000 pets and owners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
In keeping with the promotion of disaster preparedness, the Petfinder.com Foundation is announcing a grant program to provide funds to Petfinder animal shelter and rescue group members to assist them in becoming disaster-ready. Shelters and rescue groups may need to purchase equipment or obtain training in order to be prepared to handle the pets in their care and be a resource in their communities.
About Petfinder.com
Petfinder.com is an online, searchable database of animals that need permanent homes. A directory of over 10,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the USA, Canada and Mexico, the organization’s technology helps users search adoptable pets in their area that fit their family’s individual needs and preferences. In addition, Petfinder.com offers a wealth of knowledge about how to select the most compatible pet for your home and how to raise and care for an animal. Petfinder.com is free to use. Animal shelters and placement groups can register to join Petfinder.com online and can start entering pets the same day. In November of 2006, Petfinder.com was acquired by Discovery Communications.
About Animal Planet Media (APM)
Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications connects humans and animals with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in over 91 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; www.Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service www.PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications is the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health, and Discovery HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information please visit www.discovery.com