Coastal Pet Rescue Announces CoastalPetRescue.org 6.0

Getting in front of potential volunteers, donors and adopters just got a little easier for Coastal Pet Rescue.

For six years, the driving force of Coastal Pet Rescue’s adoptions and volunteer management has been their website, CoastalPetRescue.org.

“We don’t have a brick and mortar shelter, so we have to have a good way for people to find our adoptable pets,” says Lisa Scarbrough, Coastal Pet Rescue president and founder. “Our website is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is what yields 90% of our adoptions each year.”

After six years, Scarbrough, who also works full time as a web developer and webmaster for Paula Deen Enterprises, decided it was time for a change. Development began back in April, and the new site was fully released today.

“Our website may look the same, but we’ve updated the software and made it more social media friendly,” says Scarbrough.

The site is now running on Expression Engine software, which Coastal Pet Rescue adoption managers have found easier to use for adding and updating new pets and information.

User feedback over the last year led Scarbrough to create separate pages listing canines and felines for adoption.

“Potential adopters now have a choice directly on the homepage to link to a full list of cats or a full list of dogs,” says Scarbrough. “The listings page now shows more information about each pet much like a roster to help families narrow down their choices.”

CoastalPetRescue.org now also features two RSS feeds, one for their latest news and one for newly added pets. Both feeds also automatically send out tweets so anyone following the organization on Twitter will see the updates.

Volunteers now have a more dynamic message board to help them plan and execute the organization’s events, and the site’s Frequently Asked Questions has had a complete overhaul with categories and more answers to help visitors more immediately.

“It’s been six months of hard work, both from the development side of the site as well as reorganizing and adding content,” says Scarbrough. “But ultimately, it was a change we needed, and I think visitors will be impressed.”

For more information, visit coastalpetrescue.org.

Founded in February 2003, Coastal Pet Rescue is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rescue organization based in Savannah, Georgia dedicated to saving the lives of homeless, abused and neglected dogs and cats in the Creative Coast Savannah and Lowcountry South Carolina areas.

Pet Insurance: To Buy or Not To Buy

My friend Telli caught me online as I was getting ready for my fabulous TV interview this morning and told me that the TODAY show was going to have a segment on pet insurance. Unfortunately, it took too long to come on, and I had Mickey on leash and out the door as it was starting. I told her that we give a pet insurance policy as part of the adoption process, though it now costs $1. She didn't realize that, which means I didn't explain it to her when she adopted from us late last year, oops.

Anyhow, before I go sounding like a paid infomercial, let me say that I carry insurance on my beloved dog, DaVinci. Like our adopters, I got his policy as a gift with his adoption, and decided to continue it. It costs me a bit over $200 each year, which I pay out of my tax refund. I like to think I provide adequate care for my pets, but since I live paycheck to paycheck, there's no way I could afford for something major to happen to my Vinnie bear. Given his natural lack of grace, it makes me feel better to know that I can provide him care when he needs it.

Now, how do you choose the insurance policy that's right for you? The choice was made for me. ShelterCare by PetHealth Inc. has been providing us with insurance policies for our adopted pets for several years. I've had the opportunity to meet their director in person, as well as several of their staff. So, I feel confident using them for my personal pet. They also made a major announcement a few weeks back that their policy would cover expenses relating to care needed from the pet food contamination.

There are many options to choose from. Your best bet would be to do a Google search and get information from several sources. But my point remains: pets are a part of your family. You have insurance for you and/or your family members, so why not your beloved pet?