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- NOTICE:
- Saving the lives of the Military's Pets has been taking up all of our time and has prevented us from posting over 3,500 articles written about the MilitaryPetsFOSTER Project. To see more of what has been written about us, please visit Google and/or Yahoo and type in Military Pets Foster Project.
** AS OF 6/30/05, WELL OVER 8,000 MILITARY PETS HAVE BEEN FOSTERED **
Miltary personnel, especially those in the reserve units, know thy could get called to active duty with very little notice. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 brought this into a very sharp focus.One of the many details reservists must take care of before shipping off, sometimes for as long as a year, is who will care for their pets while they are on active duty. NetPets.Org has launched a new project aimed at helping the military personnel with this important, yet often overlooked, facet.
The MilitaryPetsFOSTER Project helps match military personnel with foster homes who will board and care for pets while they are away.
Net Pets.Org's founder Steve Albin said the events of Sept. 11 crystallized exactly why this project is necessary. "On Sept. 13, one of our members told us what happened to pets during the Gulf War" Albin said. "If a member of the military didn't have friends or families to take care of their pets, they were either dumped into shelters or abandoned. Dogs not adopted out were put down. Either way, the military never saw their pets again. I thought that was really an atrocity."
A link on Netpets.Org's web site allows military personnel to register for the program. It also allows families interested offering a foster home to register. Albin said the organization tries to match the pets with homes that have similar breeds. "This way we're coomfortable enough they are familiar with thebreed and can handle the characteristics and idiosyncrasies" Albin said. "It's difficult for us to put a Chihuahua into a Great Dane's home."
The military's responsibility for this is to pay for the food, treats, toys, medication, grooming and veterinary care if required.
Each potential foster home must provide two personal references and their veterinarian's name and phone number. Home visits are also arranged, whenever possible.
Dogs and cats must be spayed or neutered before being accepted into the program, Albin said. There are only two exceptions. "One exception is a show dog," Albin said. "We then assist in getting the dog to either the breeder or the handler." The other exception is dogs that are used for breeding show dogs.
Lori Sabo, a West Seneca resident and a senior resource instructor for the 77th RSC, is an enthusiastic believer in the MilitaryPetsFOSTER Project. She includes the organization's information whenever she does a deployment briefing.
"Pets are an emotional issue that are tied to the heart strings," Sabo said. "They are part of the family. Just as we help the military take care of families, we should also help them take care of the pets."
Albin said the there are currently about 5,000 people who have offered to open their homes to foster pets. Although dogs and cats are the most common pets placed in foster homes, the organization has placed horses, birds, ferrets and other animals in temporary homes.
Albin said in addition to homes willing to take in pets, the organization is in need of financial help. Albin has been doing most of the work himself. "I have been so overwhelmed with responses from foster home applicants and coordinating and assisting and outsourcing, I have not had time to market for charitable donations. Most of this has been out of my pocket."
Anyone interested in taking in a pet or making a charitable donation should visit www.NetPets.Org.
Working out of his home in North Myrtle Beach, Steve Albin sees his company as his duty to all of America."This sprang from my great sense of patriotism and the want to help those that are protecting us," said Albin, founder and president of NetPets.Org.
Fueled by a daily intake of cigarettes and caffeine, Albin works tirelessly, sometimes as many as 48 hours straight, to help secure homes for pets of the United States military personnel.
NetPets began as an informational Web site that listed veterinarians and links to other pet related sites throughout the United States and Canada for pet owners. It is acknowledged by many as the largest resource on the Internet to find veterinarians.
After Sept. 11, Albin, who used to breed and show digs, realized that his site could do much more than just provide information, it could be a helpful tool to those serving in the war against terrorism. "On Sept, 13, after those surreal attacks that took place, I received a call from a NetPets member and she told me how she was going to start a cat fostering program through her website," said Albin.
"She also told me about the atrocities that occurred during the Gulf War and I couldn't stand to see that happen again, so I decided to do the same thing for all kinds of pets."
Those atrocities were the stories that he heard about military personnel having to move so quickly for battle that their either in shelters or with family members if they could be reached. "During that time, so many pets were put down and the military never saw their pets again," he said. "So in order to serve and protect us, they had to lose their pets."
Launching the MilitaryPetsFOSTER Project on Sept. 19, Albin helps pets find foster homes that would otherwise end up in shelters or euthanized.
Consisting of an average foster period of six months, each prospective home is screened by Albin. This screening includes calling the family's veterinarian and making sure they have a grasp on the animal's disposition and character. "I go match pets with homes through their familiarity with the species and by their two references," said Albin. "But unlike breed rescues who have home inspections, I have to rely on good will, good intent and hope for accurate feedback."
Since the beginning of the Project, which is totally non-profit and runs mainly off of Albin's own finances, he says it has been a tremendous learning experience. NetPets also receives donations from businesses and in turn, Albin gives them listing space on his site as recognition and acknowledgment of their donation. Albin also has a line of NetPets merchandise that can be purchased from the site and goes toward the MilitaryPetsFOSTER Project.
Thus far, Albin has helped, directly and indirectly, thousands of animals that include horses, birds, cats and dogs. Albin attributes helping so many so fast because of the military and rescues that know about the site. According to Albin, the site gets an average of 2.5 million unique visitors each month.
There are projects similar to Albin's, however they only find homes in specific areas and some may charge fees for their services. Thanks to Albin, the NetPets program is Free.
Started out of a need to help both people and animals, Albin says that he doesn't see the FOSTER Project ending any time soon. "As long as NetPets is online, then the FOSTER Project will be in existence," he said.
"We have come a long way since September and have been doing something good for everyone involved."
You can reach NetPets through their at site www.netpets.org or at (843) 249-5262
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