BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Julianna Crane of Symmes Township, pets her new dog, Henry, adopted on-line through CCHS's web site.
(Gary Landers photo)
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BATAVIA TOWNSHIP -- Adopting from an animal shelter just went high-tech. Introducing Net pets.
In what is believed to be a local first, the Clermont County Humane Society has established a Web page featuring pictures and biographic information on some of its pets. The address, www.animalshelter.com, was created by volunteer Sue Veldkamp, a former humane society board member who is a corporate Web page designer.
The page initially went up six months ago and has drawn 2,800 "visits," but only last week did humane society officials begin to ask pet purchasers whether they saw them on the Web. The page this week featured nine dogs, four cats, a guinea pig, a rabbit and a goat. Several pet photos have "adopted" stamped across them and will be replaced.
"It's bringing people in without having to come to the shelter," Ms. Veldkamp said. "And sometimes coming in and looking at all the pets can be hard. This makes it easy."
Julianna Crane, 22, of Symmes Township, agrees. She recently adopted Henry, a 3-year-old collie mix, at the Clermont facility. Days later, Ms. Crane -- then a temp receptionist -- was surfing the Net at work, and happened upon Henry's picture. She was thrilled.
"What a great idea. Pretty soon everybody will be doing it that way," she said, breaking into laughter as she excused herself from the phone for a moment. "He's biting my leg right now."
Neither the Hamilton County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals nor the Butler County Humane Society has a Web site. But Renee Jeffries, a board member in Butler, said Thursday the society first considered setting up an Internet page last year, but the board was split on whether it was necessary.
"It's definitely on our agenda," she said.
"People want to know exactly what you have but it's difficult to describe."
Not anymore in Clermont.
