This morning I got an email from the HSUS that said:

Beginning today, several humorous, meaningful Public Service Announcements will be hitting the airwaves across the country. Why wait? You can watch the commercials now and even find a shelter pet of your own at The Shelter Pet Project’s website.

The Shelter Pet Project [...] is designed to encourage pet lovers to make shelters their first choice when they decide they want to add another pet to their family.

[...] watch these humorous commercials at the Shelter Pet Project website, then search for adoptable pets near you.

I support the campaign because even though the leading cause of preventable death for animals in the US is slaughterhouses, another leading cause of preventable death for animals in the US is “shelters.” Programs like The Shelter Pet Project encourage and enable shelter pet adoption and can reduce that cause of death.

So, I took a look around the website. There were things I liked and things I didn’t like.
Here is a list:

• The TV and radio ads are cute, but seriously corny. In my opinion, they’re kind of annoying. I hope they tried a few options on test audiences and chose these because they work, not because someone with money or power liked them.
• The welfarist angle annoys me, but it’s probably pretty effective at actually saving animals’ lives, so the HSUS gets a pass this time.
• The website is graphic-heavy with flash. There are lots of potential problems with flash-based websites. Ultimately, even the most user-friendly flash website excludes many web users. Generally, flash should only be used for artists’ websites. Multimedia is great on the web, but only in limited doses and never when it becomes a barrier to the message rather than an aid.
• The “Pet Personals” section: The first time I tried it, the thing just didn’t work at all. I figured out that it didn’t like my zip code. When I tried again with another zip, it worked fine.
• I wanted the option to embed the videos and audio files here and on other websites. I wonder why that option isn’t available.
• The Q & A section is good. I particularly like that they’re text, not graphic, so one could copy and paste the info and share it with a friend. But an “email this” option would be nice, too.
• That said, I was saddened by the egg question in the Q&A: “Are egg yolks safe for dogs? Eggs are frequently found in commercial dogs foods or as part of a balanced homemade diet. They’re as good for dogs as they are for humans – which is to say, in moderation and as part of a healthy diet.” Ugh! To me, it reeks of  compromise. It feels like the egg industry had input in this project. Gross!
• However, I appreciate some of the other answers. The express my perspective exactly. Such as:
  • “It’s not the size of the dog that determines if she’ll be happy in fairly small apartment or house without a yard, but the age and energy level of the dog and the amount of exercise the owner is willing and able to provide to the dog.
    Some large and giant breed dogs are much quieter and both need and want less exercise than many very small dogs. Other dogs, such as retired racing greyhounds, need far less exercise than people think they must, and prefer to spend a great deal of time lazing around on the couch. Many older dogs – starting somewhere around 8-10 years, depending on breed – are couch potatoes and very content in small apartments as long as they have plenty of companionship and enough exercise to keep them from being bored.
    If a dog’s exercise needs, both physical and mental, match the amount of exercise her new human will give her – and of course, there’s actually physically room for her in the house! – almost any size dog might be right for almost any size home. Let the dog’s individual characteristics, and yours, be your guide.”
  • “A dog who is playful, friendly, and tolerant is a great choice [for a family with children]. You’ll probably want a dog who isn’t too small to be injured by a child, or too big to inadvertently knock him down or hit him with a happy tail wag. Many very large dogs are quite gentle with children, while some small dogs, mostly out of fear of being trampled, may snap or bite at a child.
    Take into account the age and activity level of the children, as well as the dog. A child who wants to play “dress-up” is probably going to be happiest with a toy dog, while another who wants to throw the ball and splash around in the pool is likely to do best with a retriever or retriever mix.
    There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to adding the right dog to a family with children, but there’s definitely a dog out there who will fit in just fine! Just be clear on what your expectations are, and work with the shelter or rescue group to find just the right match for your family.”

Have you seen the website? What did you think?

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Sections: Vegan News
Topics: companion animals. cause of death, hsus, pets, shelter animals, Vegan