Petfinder Blog

We've launched the Petfinder iPhone app! It's a great way to find adoptable pets on the go -- and best of all, it's free!

With the app, you can:

• Browse adoptable pets near you or nationwide
  
• View full-screen pet photos
• Get pet info and additional pet photos with a single tap
  
• Share pets via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail
• Bookmark your "favorite" adoptable pets and come back later
  
• Add notes and comments to your "favorites"
  
• Call, e-mail or get directions to an adoption group with one tap
  
• Read adoption-story Happy Tails
  

After the jump, read comments from users who have already found pets using the Petfinder iPhone app.

Discovery News reports that a new study traces the origins of small dogs back to the Middle East of 12,000 years ago. (Read the original story.)

According to the study, which appears in the journal BMC Biology, a version of the gene responsible for a dog's small size probably resulted from the domestication of the Middle Eastern gray wolf, which is smaller than other wolves.

The DNA studies, combined with the archaeological record, then suggest that at least 12,000 years ago, the first domesticated small dogs entered the world, with humans playing a major role in the process.

"(There) could have been a mutation arising early in the history of dogs," said [study lead author Melissa] Gray, "which was maintained by breeding and artificial selection by humans, or could have been an adaptive trait that developed during domestication as a means to coexist with humans."

Also interesting: Archaeological evidence has found dog remains close to the size of Great Danes in Belgium, Germany and Western Russia dating to 13,000-31,000 years ago -- meaning big dogs came before small dogs.

I'm so excited to see the new Tim Burton-helmed Alice in Wonderland -- and even more so after reading that shelter bunnies played a role in filming!

According to a press release from Walt Disney Pictures:

Tim Burton wanted the animal characters in Wonderland to appear real rather than cartoony. So before creating the White Rabbit, animators spent a day at a rabbit shelter for abandoned rabbits, observing the animals and shooting photo reference footage to ensure they captured the nuances of rabbits chewing and wriggling their noses.

There are more than 5,000 bunnies for adoption on Petfinder. Could one of them be "late, late, for a very important date" with you?

Discovery News reports that a four-year-old Great Dane has been named the world's tallest dog (see the original story).

Standing at 7 feet and 3 inches from nose to tail and weighing in at 245 pounds, this gargantuan dog is not just your average Great Dane. It's the "Greatest" Dane.

Guinness World Records announced today that "Giant George," a blue Great Dane from Tucson, Ariz., is the new Guinness World Record holder of the Tallest Dog title.

George is three-quarters of an inch taller than the previous record holder, a Great Dane named Titan whose adoptive mom found him on Petfinder.

Want to adopt your own gentle giant? Check out the 1,100 adoptable Great Danes and Dane mixes posted on Petfinder!

The minute I heard about the earthquake in Haiti, I knew that the animals there would need us. And it didn't take long before the Petfinder.com Foundation joined ARCH, the Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti, with our partners in disaster relief, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) as well as over a dozen other leading animal welfare organizations.

Soon teams were on their way to the ravaged island. Dr. Dick Green, with IFAW, reports that they are treating between 50-100 dogs every day.

"We're seeing a lot of injuries to the paws," he says. "You need to remember that everywhere you look the concrete is down, and we have concrete mixed in with glass and sharp objects, and these poor dogs are foraging through this rubble to try and find food.

Read more about the disaster relief efforts in Haiti after the jump.

I can't pretend I'm an avid sports fan, but there's one game that I'm sure to watch.

As the New Orleans Saints make their Super Bowl debut against the Indianapolis Colts, 20 puppies will steal my attention in Animal Planet's 6th annual Puppy Bowl this Sunday, 3 p.m. E/P.

Not only are the puppies irresistibly adorable, they're all Petfinder alumni, making Petfinder the temporary "home team" for all the players. (See a full list of the participating shelters.)

Of course, it's Petfinder tradition to recognize the many adoptable namesakes of this year's Super Bowl stars. Take a look at some of these adorable adoptables as you get yourself hyped up for the game:

In the Indianapolis Area:

• 27 dogs named "Indy"
• Six dogs named "Colt"
• 39 dogs named "Austin" (perhaps after wide receiver Austin Collie)
• 38 dogs named "Dallas" (perhaps after tight end Dallas Clark)
• 38 dogs named "Reggie" (perhaps after receiver Reggie Wayne)
• 12 dogs named "Pierre" (perhaps after wide receiver Pierre Garcon)

Soon to be released at select theaters across the U.S., MINE takes a heart-wrenching yet redemptive look at the struggle of Hurricane Katrina survivors to locate and reclaim their beloved pets as they rebuild their lives.

This striking film delves into the complex world of rescue and rehoming pets when their original parents were forced to leave them behind -- a hard subject for pet parents, pet lovers and anyone in the animal welfare industry. (Find a screening near you.)

We caught up with Geralyn Pezanoski, Director of the award-winning documentary, to ask her to tell us a little more about her creation:

Why did you make this film?
A few weeks after Katrina, I got an email from a friend who had been in New Orleans rescuing animals. Her pictures stunned me.

As the months went on, ... I started hearing stories of people encountering serious resistance to getting their pets back. There was so much wrong with this situation, yet everyone seemed to be trying to do the right thing. I had to tell this story.

Find out more about MINE and the Hurricane Katrina rescues after the jump.

Woman's Day magazine recently scoured the United States looking for "Women Who Are Changing the World." What they found is a collection of 50 brilliant, established and passionate women who are doing just that.

Imagine our Petfinder pride when our co-founder, Betsy Saul, joined the ranks of the other selected women, including Michelle Obama, Bette Midler and Oprah. (Read the whole list here.)

"I was really surprised when I heard. I couldn't believe it because just a few years ago I don't think homeless pets would have hit their radar for 'world changing.'" Besty remarked about the article.

"This is evidence that all the hard work that we've been doing at Petfinder -- and the work the shelter and rescue folks have been doing -- is making a difference. I hope that everyone in animal welfare can share that validation with me and use it to power more great work."

A New York dog has contracted the first confirmed case of the H1N1 Swine Flu virus to occur in domesticated U.S. dogs, according to a recent CBS News report.

Though the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) had previously recorded cases of the Swine Flu occurring in cats, ferrets and poultry, no U.S. cases of human-to-dog transmission had been confirmed until now.

The 13-year-old mixed breed male, which is recovering, apparently caught the virus from its owner. But Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, said there's no evidence that the flu strain can be transmitted from a pet to a person.

"In theory it could happen, but so far it's really looking like a dead end in pets," he said. (CBS News)

According to the AVMA's Swine Flu FAQ sheet, pet parents shouldn't panic or consider giving up their pets for fear of infection. So help spread the word to other pet parents!

You are much more likely to catch the flu (any type of flu, including the 2009 H1N1 flu) from an infected person than you are from an animal. So far, all of the pets infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus became infected from being around their ill owners. (AVMA Swine Flu FAQ sheet)

Experts are still unsure how serious the Swine Flu strain is in dogs and cats, due to the relatively small number of confirmed cases. While the New York dog is recovering, fatalities have been reported in both cats and ferrets.

Get flu symptoms and prevention tips after the jump.

Melinda Stewart, who volunteers at Dent County Animal Welfare Society in Salem, Missouri, sent us a good holiday homecoming story. She recently went to the shelter and saw a pitiful little Shih Tzu the rescue was calling Star. 

"[Star] had eye infections in both eyes," Melinda says. "She had green coming from her nose, and a chest cough that rattled. She had just gotten back from the vet where she'd had to be sedated to be shaved because the mats were so tight." (See Star's dramatic shaved picture after the jump.) Despite Star's discomfort, her sweet nature shined through. 

Melinda brought her home so the Shih Tzu could have a quiet place to heal. Meanwhile, Star was listed on Petfinder.

Two weeks later, Melinda got a phone call from someone who had seen Star's Petfinder profile. The person thought the dog had been stolen from his backyard four months earlier.

"He described her to a tee," Melinda says. Star even seemed to respond to "Bobbie Sue," the name of the man's lost dog.

Bobbie Sue's parents were soon on their way, hoping to retrieve their beloved companion.

Still, it seemed unlikely that Star was their dog. Bobbie Sue went missing 50 miles north of Kansas City and Star was found in Montauk, a four or five hour drive away. How could a dog, weighing less than ten pounds, make it over 200 miles from home?