Pawfect Lounge: Pet Connection Launched!

The pet connection website is now in beta mode. I’ve added many businesses that I found by Google searches, but I need your help in adding others that you find! Please sign up for a free account to add a business to the site. Search the website by service type to find a particular service near you. I’ve added pretty many categories of services, including Doggie Daycare/camp, merchandise, boarding, grooming, dog walking, pet sitting, training, dog parks, clean up, adoption/shelter, health care/clinic (veterinarians), pet store, and cuisine! I didn’t realize that there are businesses out there that provide dog food and treats in a buffet-style (bakery) for dogs that come in! I found Three Dog Bakery and Heidi’s Homemade. They are under the cuisine category.

Social Links

The details page of a business will display links to that business’ profile on social networks and other community/review sites. I haven’t done much research to find all these links yet, so please send an email or post a comment if you would like to point out a link to a business.

Reviews

Viewing and creating reviews for a business are not available yet. I’m still not sure if adding the ability to write reviews on this site is prudent due to the numerous other review sites out there. Please use the social links for the respective business to find reviews on other sites. But what would set these reviews apart from the others is the ability to rate each individual service provided by a business, and provide an opportunity for businesses to respond to the feedback and reviews they receive. NOTE: Reviews and feedback will be moderated to an extent to ensure communication is civil, intelligent, appropriate, respectful, and rated G.

Let me know what you think about the new site!

Resources Available at Your Vet

I just received an email notifying me of an online Pet Portal feature offered by my veterinarian, North Arlington Animal Clinic (http://www.northarlingtonvet.com/). Although I haven’t checked it out yet, the notification claims it is a private, secure way to manage my pet’s health. Features include:

  • Check your pet’s health records
  • Request an appointment
  • Search our extensive pet health library
  • View vaccination history
  • Upload photos of your pet
  • Send yourself medication reminders by email

I just tried logging in, and it appears to be provided by a third party: https://www.vetsecure.com and is down for maintenance. Not exactly 24/7 quite yet. But I wonder if you’ll be able to download a proof of vaccination to take with you when your dog is boarded somewhere or goes to doggy day care?

Vet Newsletter

Every few months I also receive the Healthy Pet newsletter with reminders on the front cover of when my pets need to go in for a visit (updates on vaccinations, etc). They usually have a bunch of tips and articles, as well as a feature story with a celebrity and his/her pets. For Winter, 2009 we have an article on Jennie Garth and her pets, how to prepare and adjust your pet for lifestyle changes (a move, divorce, or new baby), tips on caring for your pet’s teeth, and answers about canine influenza, and more. I’ll definitely be reading up on brushing my dog’s teeth since he recently had to undergo a cleaning at the vet, and we don’t want to have to pay for that again if we can prevent it!

These features are a great (free) bonus offered by our vet. Does your vet offer these same features? Are there any other resources available from your vet?