Monday, 5 May 1997
STAR TECH 16D
Mitch Gitman
THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
As if mandatory microchipping isn’t enough, The Humane Society of Tucson has another technology initiative under way that could be a big help to companion animals and companion animal lovers.
The Humane Society plans to debut today the preliminary version of a World Wide Web site that will eventually provide a database of all the animals the society’s shelter has available for adoption.
The “Online Adoptions” feature will display a small photo and a thumbnail description of the animal. When it is fully functional, possibly in a few months, it will be updated daily. Initially it will have a weekly roster of five animals.
“In terms of an educational standpoint, it’s going to allow us to reach a great number of people that would never have access to the shelter itself,” education manager Marsh Myers said. “And through what either we offer or the links we have to other Web pages, they’re going to have a ton of pet-related information at their fingertips.”
The Humane Society Web site will also have regional information for pet owners, Myers said.
The Humane Society Web site is coming together thanks to the volunteer efforts of a few people affiliated with StarNet, the Internet access service and online edition of The Arizona Daily Star.
Matthew Grossman, network operations project leader at StarNet, donated about $1,500 worth of equipment to get the site up and running. The Humane Society will also receive a free subscription to a digital ISDN Internet link.
The agency plans to eventually offer an alert system, where you can enter into the Web site specifications for the kind of animal you want to adopt, Grossman said. Then when an animal comes into the shelter that meets that description, you will automatically receive an e-mail.
The Humane Society Web of Tucson Web site: www.humane-tucson.org