A good friend has charged me with the task of finding the best pet sites on the Internet. He seems to think that my blog makes me some kind of Web-content expert. I’d hasten to disagree, considering that I spend the bulk of my time writing or reading your comments. After that, who’s got time to play online after hours? A girl’s gotta cook, eat, read, knit and exercise, right?
So it’s up to you. I want to know where you smart people shop, buy your pet meds, which blog rocks your world and what pet site finds you coming back for more, day after day. Is it information or the community feel that grabs you? Or is it the personal touch from geeks (like yours truly) that works for you?
Please please please let me know—for my own edification as well as my solicitous friend’s.
Lagomorph Lounge is the best rabbit site out there! They are one of few that manages to bring house rabbit owners and rabbit breeders together in harmony, and both sides benefit from learning from the other. Monthly photo contests, community gatherings once a year, and the best rabbit advice you can find on the Web! They have it all.
Not exactly pet related, but vet related, the Student Doctor Network is a place to get advice about applying, find out what vet school is really like, get study tips, etc. There are also handful of vet student blogs to read there.
I've tried visiting other pet sites, and well, let's just say I "accidently" deleted those links. The general "I'm better than you, Cesar Milan is the anti-christ, and even though my dog bites, he's well behaved" atttitude of these other sites drive me crazy. They shouldn't be pet sites, they would be better titled as cat-fight sites.*rolls eyes* Some of the other sites I hang out on have sections devoted to pets, but they are done in a forum fashion so there's also lots of other types of conversations to get involved in as well.
So as far as far as other pet sites go, I only visit yours and I don't order pet meds or anything else pet related online. If I'm looking for something, I may do a search online to see if a place carries it. This is always the case for a particular pet store on the Cape. If they don't have it posted on their website, I'll call them first as I refuse to spend hours sitting in Cape traffic just because I'm looking for one specific thing.
Ooooh we're off to a great start! I have to say I've never seen some of these! And I loooove terrierman for its sheer geekiness (and that's a compliment). I'm off to animalblawg right now.
I am addicted to the forums on www.dogster.com www.catster.com Lots of discussion, ideas, problem-solving, and the occasional heated argument, all from other animal-lovers.
I love www.paws-and-effect.com ! The woman who maintains it is an animal lover to the core, and much of the site is written from the perspective of her cats, yet still professionally. I have almost always been able to find answers to my questions on this site, and when I have sent in a question, I've found it answered very quickly! It's a great resource!
Here are some of my faves: http://www.dogaware.com/ DogAware - lots of common sense, well written articles on nutrition, arthritis care (including great info on pain meds at http://www.dogaware.com/arthritis.html#ChronicPain) and other canine health issues.
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles.html A well organized catalog of articles on a wide variety of health & behavior issues, plus guidelines to selecting an ethical breeder when looking for a puppy.
http://www.Doberdawn.com Click the link for "How to Dremel Dog Nails" on the left side of the page for the BEST article I've ever seen on how to grind your dog's nails instead of clipping them. This is THE solution if you've got a dog who really hates having his nails clipped - chances are the clippers are pinching his nails and if you've ever pinched your fingertip in a door you know how much that hurts!
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/Greene2.htm "I don't have time to train - Oh, yes you do!" Common sense tips for incorporating training into your every day routine. I tell my students "even 30 to 60 seconds a day will make a HUGE difference in what your dog learns!"
http://www.cactuscanyon.com/ Cactus Canyon - the best prices I've ever found for high quality liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements. Great service, too (no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer for several years).
http://www.fortresspetcrates.com/ Fortress Crates - the absolute best prices you'll ever find on crates and X-pens. They don't carry a big selection but what they have is good quality.
Also, I like itchmo and it's forum: http://www.itchmo.com/ http://itchmoforums.com/ I think the forum is similar to pet connections. The forum may get a little heated for some, but there are good people there that share ideas and love their pets.
Also, having a cat with IBD and pancreatitis, the forum at yahoo is excellent. A very active group willing to share ideas in an area where many vets refuse to think outside the box: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FelineIBD/
Although this won't apply to everyone, I really love urbanhound.com for the web forums and newsletters about what's happening in NYC. I also enjoy reading about the adventures of Wally the Corgador at DogBlog (http://dogsthatblog.blogspot.com/), but I'm sure there are countless dogblogs these days that we all enjoy.
Ok... PetConnection, Itchmo, Dolittler are all in my favorites, too. But I will contribute a little shameless self-promotion in http://www.pethobbyist.com as I have worked as a host with this group for nearly 10 years. Discussion forums, hosted chats, photo galleries and more for all species with individual sites for dogs, cats, etc as well as PetSupport.net for pet loss and RescueNetwork.org for rescue groups.
www.dogswithblogs.com.au It technically a collection of over a hundred dogs with blogs which is the fun part. Its also a community where dog owners from all over the world join together to support and educate eachother both through the forum and through the individual blogs.
Others have mentioned CuteOverload and StuffOnMyCat, but I have one major complaint about them: they do not cull out images showing pets in unsafe situations. For example, between the two of them I have seen a parrot sitting atop a cat, a pomeranian dog with a chick in its mouth, a kitten attacking a cockatiel, and a rottweiler dog sitting on a baby.
http://www.pawsamomentcards.com/index.htm - hilarious greeting cards using photos of dogs dressed up as characters (Wizard of Oz & American Gothic) $2.25 per card. She uses lots of Vizslas (think William Wegman with Vizslas)
For ferrets, http://miamiferret.org/fhc/ is an excellent, excellent resource (and right down in your neck of the woods, too!). The site provides a comprehensive and up to date overview of pretty much all the medical issues a ferret might face in its life, as well as some how-to articles about supportive care, recent news about ferret health, etc., and discussion forums.
Other people have said some of the ones I was going to say (I'm a little late on this!) but there is one that has not been mentioned: http://www.hotdogblog.com
It's for people with dachshunds...there are actually quite a few dachshund sites, but this is the only one I frequent. It's definitely the community feel that keeps me coming back for more! There is a blog section, forums, chat, a cute pictures of dachshunds!
#2 -- Itchmo
Looking forward to everyone else's favorites, MB
http://lagomorphlounge.proboards2.com
Lagomorph Lounge is the best rabbit site out there! They are one of few that manages to bring house rabbit owners and rabbit breeders together in harmony, and both sides benefit from learning from the other. Monthly photo contests, community gatherings once a year, and the best rabbit advice you can find on the Web! They have it all.
http://www.cuteoverload.com/
Cute animal photos. Need I say more?
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f...
Not exactly pet related, but vet related, the Student Doctor Network is a place to get advice about applying, find out what vet school is really like, get study tips, etc. There are also handful of vet student blogs to read there.
http://www.mycorgi.com
What can I say, corgi people are special :-)
So as far as far as other pet sites go, I only visit yours and I don't order pet meds or anything else pet related online. If I'm looking for something, I may do a search online to see if a place carries it. This is always the case for a particular pet store on the Cape. If they don't have it posted on their website, I'll call them first as I refuse to spend hours sitting in Cape traffic just because I'm looking for one specific thing.
But I also like animalblawg.com (cool site by two law students headed into animal rights law)
and
poshpuppyonline.com - that's a store, but i LOVE it.
I can't believe I forgot!
www.stuffonmycat.com and www.stuffonmymutt.com!
http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/--Terriers, hunting, etc.
http://ayatollahmugsy.blogspot.com/--Hilarious!
http://www.dogscouts.com/--Lots of info on different things you can do with your dog
www.dogster.com
www.catster.com
Lots of discussion, ideas, problem-solving, and the occasional heated argument, all from other animal-lovers.
For pet supplies you can't beat http://www.petedge.com or http://www.groomersmall.com.
I am very concerned with fighting anti-pet legislation. These sites are essential references: http://www.pet-law.com/ and http://www.naiaonline.org/
For inspiration about rescue, http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ And for my own breed, http://www.airedalerescue.net/ . I work on the Airedale Quilting Bee project that creates beautiful quilts to be raffled to raise money for Airedale rescue
http://www.dogaware.com/
DogAware - lots of common sense, well written articles on nutrition, arthritis care (including great info on pain meds at http://www.dogaware.com/arthritis.html#ChronicPain) and other canine health issues.
http://www.flyingdogpress.com/artlibreg.htm
Free articles on a wide array of dog training topics from guru Suzanne Clothier
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/articles.html
A well organized catalog of articles on a wide variety of health & behavior issues, plus guidelines to selecting an ethical breeder when looking for a puppy.
http://www.Doberdawn.com
Click the link for "How to Dremel Dog Nails" on the left side of the page for the BEST article I've ever seen on how to grind your dog's nails instead of clipping them. This is THE solution if you've got a dog who really hates having his nails clipped - chances are the clippers are pinching his nails and if you've ever pinched your fingertip in a door you know how much that hurts!
http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/Greene2.htm
"I don't have time to train - Oh, yes you do!" Common sense tips for incorporating training into your every day routine. I tell my students "even 30 to 60 seconds a day will make a HUGE difference in what your dog learns!"
http://www.cactuscanyon.com/
Cactus Canyon - the best prices I've ever found for high quality liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements. Great service, too (no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just a satisfied customer for several years).
http://www.fortresspetcrates.com/
Fortress Crates - the absolute best prices you'll ever find on crates and X-pens. They don't carry a big selection but what they have is good quality.
http://www.kvvet.com/
http://www.ryanspet.com/
http://www.valleyvet.com/
http://www.sitstay.com/
http://www.jjdog.com/
More good pet supply stores. SitStay specializes in no-preservatives food and treats. J&J specializes in obedience and agility equipment, and has a wonderful line of leather leashes. They aren't cheap, but I've had some for about 20 years and I love them.
http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/
Wonderful resource for canine epilepsy and related seizure disorders.
http://blackgsd.googlepages.com/
Articles on tick borne diseases in dogs. Excellent resouce.
Dig&Scratch - http://www.digandscratch.com/
Gotham Unleashed - http://www.gothamunleashed.com/
Fashion Pets (en francais) http://fashionpets.fr/
Also, I like itchmo and it's forum:
http://www.itchmo.com/
http://itchmoforums.com/
I think the forum is similar to pet connections. The forum may get a little heated for some, but there are good people there that share ideas and love their pets.
Also, having a cat with IBD and pancreatitis, the forum at yahoo is excellent. A very active group willing to share ideas in an area where many vets refuse to think outside the box:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/FelineIBD/
I also enjoy reading about the adventures of Wally the Corgador at DogBlog (http://dogsthatblog.blogspot.com/), but I'm sure there are countless dogblogs these days that we all enjoy.
Always had good luck with their advice and enjoyed their work.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/ pricy but nice stuff
http://omahavaccine.com/ cheap! cheapest furminator I've found
http://www.fetchingtags.net/ Lovely handmade tags and great pics of dogs wearing the tags
http://www.kvvet.com/KVVet/assets/html/homepage.as... cheap and huge selection
http://www.waggintails.com/index.php?gclid=CJLM4te... awesome high-quality foods and treats
It technically a collection of over a hundred dogs with blogs which is the fun part. Its also a community where dog owners from all over the world join together to support and educate eachother both through the forum and through the individual blogs.
I also like
- the Urban Hound sites (NY, Chicago and SF), http://urbanhound.com/
- Pawspot http://www.pawspot.com/ (arrange pet sitting, play dates and chit chat with pet parents in your area)
- WagginTails http://www.waggintails.com/ Site for natural and organic pet foods
And if you want to learn more about pet insurance, there's always http://www.embracepetinsurance.com and http://blog.embracepetinsurance.com but I can't vote for them as they're mine :)
I like Windy City Parrot (http://windycityparrot.com) for its huge cheap Finch-to-Conure Flight Cage, and the Parrot Lovers Livejournal community (http://community.livejournal.com/parrot_lovers/) which is *VERY* informative though some members should pull their punches a little more.
A collection of pet-related sites with something for everyone.
http://www.paws-and-effect.com/
The lady who runs this is very knowledgeable. She has her own blog on livejournal, but the website is the best way to get information.
www.petedge.com
Hilarious Cafe Press products featuring numerous breeds. Plus mutts, cats & babies.
pet-abuse.com This site lists the most recent cases of pet abuse and issues action alerts. Very informative and depressing.
dogsdeservebetter.com Lots of great stuff but mainly about freeing chained up dogs.
http://www.animalarkshelter.org/animal/ShelterLife... - A blog written by various staff and volunteers from a no-kill shelter
http://www.pawsamomentcards.com/index.htm - hilarious greeting cards using photos of dogs dressed up as characters (Wizard of Oz & American Gothic) $2.25 per card. She uses lots of Vizslas (think William Wegman with Vizslas)
lolcat supersite.
Rabbit information: http://www.rabbit.org/
Guinea pig information: http://www.guinealynx.info/
Info about finding/using service dogs for people with disabilities:
http://www.4pawsforability.org/
Leroy the border collie's videos of tricks, his trainer's website:
http://www.onedogatatime.com/adw/leroy/tricks.asp
Delta Society, for people with service dogs:
http://www.deltasociety.org/home.htm
And for the best laugh at a cat's expense, icanhascheezburger:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/
Digandscratch.com cracks me up every single time I read it.
Gothamunleashed.com is my own blog, so of course I love it.
It's for people with dachshunds...there are actually quite a few dachshund sites, but this is the only one I frequent. It's definitely the community feel that keeps me coming back for more! There is a blog section, forums, chat, a cute pictures of dachshunds!
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http://barmajan.fortunecity.com/
http://www.geocities.com/wslaat_games/
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http://arabgames.freewebpages.org/
http://flashgames.digitalzones.com/index.htm
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http://www.stormpages.com/arabgames/
http://arabgames.fortunecity.co.uk/
http://www.stormloader.com/members/arabgames/
Two I didn't see are:
http://www.catnutrition.org/index.php and
http://www.catinfo.org/
Both of these actually came via my veterinarian and have proved very helpful over the years.