The Search for the Perfect Pet
A new Animal Planet series helps would-be pet owners find the right fit
Anyone who’s ever struggled to find the “perfect pet” to satisfy a whole family, or to meet the needs of both husband and wife or a couple of roommates, will be able to relate to “Petfinder.”
A funny, instructional and oh-so-on-target series airing Fridays at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet, “Petfinder” will get to the bottom of finding the right pet for disparate individual desires. Hosted by Jarod Miller, a zoologist and pet expert who was the youngest accredited zoo director in the U.S. (at age 25), and Dina Zaphiris, known as Malibu’s trainer to the stars, the show will examine the hearts and needs of would-be pet owners, and help present the best option for full acceptance and all-out pet love.
Among challenges tackled: Greg wants a playmate for his dog and Divinity wants an exotic pet. The next step is to give each of them a taste of what they say they want by offering some time with pets that already have homes, but are perfectly willing to act as what the show calls “Teacher’s Pets.” These short-term creature visitors give the would-be pet owners a feel for what fits best in their family dynamics and their homes.
“What a family may think is the ideal pet and what it actually is can be very different,” show producers say. “A Teacher’s Pet helps them tell the difference.”
So Greg and Divinity get to spend some time with a 12-week-old pot-bellied pig, a five-year-old Great Dane, and a young Jack Russell terrier.
The Bissel family has a burgeoning animal family and wants to add one more. So they get a chance to hang out with a four-month-old goat, a six-foot-long lizard and a one-year-old boxer.
And most of the Gee family is enthusiastic about getting a first pet, but Mom is reluctant, not certain that everyone is quite ready for one. So the Teacher’s Pets chosen for them include Phoebe, a four-month-old shepherd mix rescued puppy; Dixie, a mini rex rabbit; and Lightening, a sulcata turtle with a life expectancy of 100 years and a probable adult size of 100 pounds.
Other challenges include a kid who wants a snake and a mom who’s terrified of them; and a woman who wants a tiny Yorkie but her husband wants a more exotic pet.
Part of the message is that simply imagining how an animal will fit into a family may not track with reality, and also that pet-addition decisions should not be made spontaneously without full thought.
Many of the “Teacher’s Pet” animals were adopted from shelters, and more than 11,000 animal placement organizations across the U.S. have their own homepages with pictures and videos through Petfinder.com. Founded in 1996 by Betsy Saul and Jared Saul, Petfinder.com is the largest searchable database of adoptable pets on the web. It is credited with having facilitated more than 11 million adoptions in 11 years.
Animal Planet launched the series Feb. 9. According to show spokesman Brian Eley, 13 episodes, featuring would-be pet owners located through the Internet or by word of mouth, were produced by the end of 2007.
What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, training and loving your pet. E-mail Sharon@Pets2008.com.
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