Cats and dogs click mouse to find Internet friends
This is utterly cute! We had a story last week about a new dating service for dog lovers. Here's a new twist — a Facebook type internet site for dog and cat lovers! And it's not just for people. Nope. Your dog can have his own set of online friends.
I know you'll think I'm nuts but there was a time when I was convinced that my dog Beau was using the internet. I was teaching three days a week. Every afternoon when I came home I would find my chair rolled away from my desk with Beau curled up in it. Not only was he in my chair, but he had obviously been online. I would find applications on my computer opened. Now, I don't know what Beau was doing online (and I was always kind of afraid to find out), but I suspect he was browsing doggy supplies and looking at web sites with lady dogs. We'll see if he signs himself up for Dogbook to meet other dogs around the world.
Anyway, I think Dogbook and Catbook are great ideas for pet lovers and their pets.
From CTV.ca Canada
Cats and dogs click mouse to find Internet friends
Updated Sat. Jan. 5 2008 10:19 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Geoffrey Roche and his dog Annabelle speak to CTV News about his facebook applications known as catbook and dogbook, which allow users to create pages and even add friends for their pets.
The Internet is literally going to the dogs — and cats — thanks to a father and son team from Toronto who have created a social networking site for canines and felines.
Geoffrey Roche and his son, Alexandre, came up with the idea for cat and dog social networking sites in the wake of the success of Facebook, a similar site catering only to people.
Dogbook and Catbook are, as their website names suggest, exclusively the domain of pets. Pets can swap pictures and even messages — with the help of their owners, of course. They can list their favourite treats and even arrange meetings at local parks.
"Annabelle has more friends than I do," says Roche.
Annabelle is a Toronto mutt whose mug has been unleashed on the Internet. Her web profile says she likes to run, jump, and eat steak.
She has 58 online friends, including Lou Lou, a Jack Russell terrier from Quebec, and a cat from California name Bootsy.
In just six months, Dogbook and Catbook have signed up more than 500,000 cats and more than one million dogs. Thousands of new pets are joining every week.
Roche says that the sites appear to appeal to empty nesters and young adults without kids. With just a click of a mouse, owners can find pets that live nearby or anywhere in the world.
"We have dogs in Iran and Iraq. We have them in all parts of Norwegian countries. We have them in South Africa (and) South America," says Roche.
A woman and her dog, both members of Facebook, surf the internet.
One Dogbook member who has an international outlook is Ralph, a Coton de Tulear. According to his profile, he's friends with Zoe from Madagascar and a Maltipoo named Aspen from South Carolina. But Ralph's interests are typical of canines around the world. His favorite activities include barking and eating socks.
With a report by CTV's John Vennavally-Rao.
