| An Unprecedented Media Program Involving Pets, Shelters and Webcasts |
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Found Animals' The ModPawd Pioneers a New Era of Pet Husbandry, Shelter Awareness, and Internet Savvy LOS ANGELES (March 3, 2010) - Found Animals Foundation is launching a groundbreaking media initiative called The ModPawd (www.foundanimals.org/the-mod-pawd). Located in Downey, at the Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (www.SEAACA.org), The ModPawd consists of three converted modular trailers that make up the first live media webcast studio ever built at a municipal animal care facility. SEAACA and Found Animals have partnered on The ModPawd initiative to bring attention to municipal animal care centers globally, find homes for adoptable animals and lower euthanasia rates within the shelter system through harnessing the power of Internet media.The ModPawd's unprecedented three modules feature a production studio sound stage, a community room where live animals will roam free, with a live video stream viewable 24 hours per day via the Internet. A separate area of wall-to-wall kennels will be used for quarantine of all animals prior to being available for adoption and appearing live on air. Initially, The ModPawd will feature a 30-minute webcast from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The show, entitled The PawdCast, will present a wide range of compelling and informative segments regarding companion pets and highlighting the wide array of animals available for adoption at any municipal animal care center. Some of the pieces will include: Hot Topics, which will focus on global animal news and related stories; Things Your Pets Want You To Know, which will include various tips and tricks, as well as interesting tidbits on everything from how to brush a dog's teeth to buying the proper leash; a segment where viewers can ask questions and receive real-time answers about relevant pet issues; and information on useful products, retail promotions and interesting must-haves. In addition, available adoptable animals will be highlighted throughout each webcast. Much more than a marketing media tool, this groundbreaking initiative will empower a proven pet adoption vehicle, as animals featured on media programs tend to be adopted more readily. Moreover, the webcast will help to resolve one of the industry's biggest issues. For example, an estimated six to eight million dogs and cats enter U.S. animal shelters yearly and approximately 50% of them are euthanized, most often for the simple lack of a home. The ModPawd not only will shed light on this and other pressing concerns, but also will provide an entertainment outlet for pet lovers. "The ModPawd combines the best of media and animal shelter awareness," noted Aimee Gilbreath, Executive Director of Found Animals. "We experienced a great response in the past while testing this public awareness platform and were able to find homes for hundreds of animals. This groundbreaking initiative has the potential to save thousands of pets from coast to coast. Additionally, we have a rare opportunity to merge informative news, compelling entertainment, and meaningful animal outreach in a market that could greatly benefit from all three components. This could be a watershed moment for our industry," she added. |
