Message Boards

[Pam]

I was just wondering if anyone has ever been involved in posting on message boards before coming to this site. This is the first time I have ever become involved in a message board site such as this and I think I may have stumbled on the best group of people on the internet. :) Everyone here loves their pets so much and is so kind and helpful and I get so many laughs too!

[AdoreMyDogs]

This was the first message board I think I posted on. It has become better then I could have imagined :)

[Gio]

I have looked at a couple of other boards but this is certainly the best one there is both in term of people and message volumes. What's more I think that a superb job has been done in setting this one up, it has a very appealing look and it's very user friendly.

The only other board I occasionally visit is the one for owners of disabled pets, having one myself I'm quite interested in some of the topics discussed there.

The only snag with Pet Talk is the time difference but unfortunately there isn't anything that can be done about that... :D

[ August 01, 2001: Message edited by: Gio ]

[Logan]

This was my first too, Pam! And it is still the best all around site! :D

Someone here, maybe Alicia (Albea) mentioned the Golden Retriever site on MSN and off I went. I love it too, but even it isn't as much fun as this one. At least they don't count my posts!! LOL!!!

[cartwheel]

Please forgive me if I could've posted this in a more appropriate place. Like the folks before me, I have never posted at a sight before and I may be missing the mark on the exact right place for this message in your forum.

I wanted to comment that the wording of the message I saw advertising this sight is innapropriate in my opinion. It says something to the effect of "whether you paid lots of money for your pet or JUST adopted/rescued him/her from a shelter..." --
I object to the latter half of that statement. Adopting or rescuing an animal is a wonderful thing to do. I know many people want pure bred animals because they admire the traits of a given breed. However, not everyone who purchases an expensive animal is looking for the ideal companion. Some are looking to make a living as a breeder, some are obtaining a status symbol. This is not to say that I am not in favor of the continuation of pure bred animals, however, just as spending a lot of money on a pure bred pet is not necessarily a gesture of love, going to a shelter for a pet is not necessarily an attempt at frugality. Folks who adopt animals from shelters often have noble motives -- the desire to save an animal's life and the lives of animals who are waiting for space to open up in the adoption area of a shelter before the time comes for them to be euthanized. Animals die
in shelters every day -- thousands upon thousands of them, and anyone who tells you their shelter is a "no-kill" shelter is not telling you the full story. Unlike most government funded shelters who must continue to accept animals and continue to euthanize those there is no space for, a no kill shelter is a place where no animals are euthanized, but where animals are turned away when the shelter is full. That is to say that if the shelter is full animals will be turned away until some
shelter animals are adopted. What do you think happens to the animals who are turned away? They may be taken to another shelter, they may be taken somewhere else until space opens up at the no kill shelter, or they may simply be abandoned. Most people who take animals to shelters have either run out of options as to what to do with the animal and need to get rid of it immediately, or they are too unconcerned to try other options. This does not bode well for animals turned away from a no kill shelter.
I present these facts to emphasize my point that adopting/rescuing an animal from a shelter does not pale in comparison to paying the big bucks for a pure bred pet. Why not
adopt an animal and donate the balance of the money you would've spent on a pedigreed pet
to a local shelter so it can provide better services for it's inmates?

[Eudora]

This was my first messaging board too and I love it precisely because the people here love and care for their pets so much, they make me feel like I would want to be their pet just to get all that pampering! :D

[aly]

I've been on many message boards before this one. However, I check this one MUCH more frequently than any of the others I've been a regular on. This site definately has some of the nicest people. There are constant arguments on most of my other boards/lists/newsgroups/etc.

[wolflady]

I'm a newbie to this message board thing too, but I must have stumbled upon the best one ever! Kudos to our moderators!! I have heard some scary things about other message boards, so I was just lucky enough to stumble on to the right one on my first try!! My aunt had a horrible experience with a parenting message board which is really scary. You think that would be safe, but it wasn't.
Out of curiosity, I have looked at a couple of others, but I definitely agree the layout and ease of use of POTD definitely ranks number 1!! I also agree with Spencer, I have seen lots of flames and arguments on other message boards, but it's different here. It's nice to share opinions about things and get other people's points of view here at POTD. I know that everyone here is just like me, in that they love their pets as much as I do!!! You guys are all great, even if I don't get the chance to post as often as I would like :rolleyes:

It's really cool to be in the company of friends...all over the world! *HUGS*!!!
Karen, Marius, Scooter & Crookshanks=^..^=

[jackiesdaisy1935]

Cartwheel, I think if you looked at the posts on this board, you will see that probably a majority of the people on here have adopted their animals, verses those of us who have purchased our pets from a breeder. These people did not think of frugality when they adopted them, they did it out of love and compassion. I admit I purchased my dogs from a breeder because I love Schnauzers and there weren't many around to buy, let alone adopt one from a shelter. Many of the people on this board are giving their time to shelters and they understand the plight of the shelter dog.
Personally I am a little old to try working at a shelter, but I donate two or three times a year to "Best Friends Animal Sanctuary" who do such good work. I wish you had taken a little time to read some of the posts, some are funny, some are sad, some are silly, but everyone on this board loves all animals and would do anything to help them.

On another note, this is the first board that I have taken part in discussion and everyone is so nice and friendly. I have tried other boards, but there is a lot of angry people out there who vent in a very bad way. I love tha fact that everyone on this board loves all animals and love to talk about them. It is a safe haven for the animal lover.

[Pam]

Jackie I couldn't have said it better. Cartwheel stick around a while and you will see that exactly what Jackie said is true. Also the Dog or Cat of the Day is often a rescued pet from a shelter or a stray who has found his/her forever home. Stay with us for a bit and I doubt you will leave. :)

[Karen]

Originally posted by cartwheel:
<STRONG>Please forgive me if I could've posted this in a more appropriate place. ....I wanted to comment that the wording of the message I saw advertising this sight is innapropriate in my opinion. It says something to the effect of "whether you paid lots of money for your pet or JUST adopted/rescued him/her from a shelter..." --
I object to the latter half of that statement. Adopting or rescuing an animal is a wonderful thing to do.</STRONG>

We do not "advertise" this site anywhere, the text you objecxt to must have been typed by someone else reccomending our site. We are glad you found us, in any case. I daresay you will not find anyone here who thinks rescued or adopted pets are any less valuable than expensive purebreds. It's just not that kind of place!

The text we usually use is what starts our "About Us" page:

"Whether you do not have any pets or your home, barn, and pastures are full, Pet of the Day aims to bring a few minutes of joy into your life each day. Every day we present a new pet photo and story to try to illustrate how animals enrich the lives of people around the world."

[akat71]

This is my second board to post on and by far the friendliest! The other was a support group and everyone argued and said nasty things to everyone (to me not much support). Anyway I found this site much more fun. I have an 8 month old Shih tzu named Chloe who is the best dog in the whole world. I have to finally brag, (I didn't want to jinx it) but Chloe is finally house trained. She now goes to the door and scratches to go out!! Some of you can probably relate. If someone can help me figure out how to insert pictures that would be great. Thanks for all of the entertaining posts.

Kitty & Chloe

[catwoman]

I post on two other boards, and the other two are friendly and fun like PetTalk. I consider myself very lucky. :)

[Cynthia]

I've never been a message board person before, but PetTalk is extremely well-organized and well-moderated, and minus the garbage that appears in others. For me, it's incredibly helpful -- I've learned so much. Everyone is not only friendly and fun, but willing to share, and those are the things that keep me coming back! :) Well, those and the great photos!

[4 feline house]

I am a regular on four boards - this one that I visit nearly every day (sometimes multiple times), one that discusses politics and current events that I visit when a new issue I'm interested in comes up, one for middle aged and older type 1 diabetics that I visit when I think about it, and one for self-help for home computer problems that I visit when I have - a problem.

The computer board is very technical in nature so it lacks any "feel" to it. I seldom see any flaming, in fact only once that I remember and that was many months ago. But, since its topics are of a technical nature, there's no reason to "hang out" on the boards, so there's no pull to visit it solely for the fun of it. There are some really witty regulars there, though.

I like the diabetes one because the vast majority of middle aged diabetics are type 2, and we get kind of lost in the shuffle, even with our healthcare providers. It's a good, educational site, but a little dry and dull sometimes. Everybody is polite and articlulate and there is absolutely no flaming, mainly because of the nature of the topics.

I like the political board to get another perspective besides mine. However, I still prefer discussing things of this nature in person, and an awful lot of the people that post are, well, idiots. Some are downright illiterate - it makes you wonder how they could manage to secure a position that pays well enough for them to even afford a computer. Because of this and the nature of the topics, flames abound. Hot flames!

This board is so different. The people that come here are all ages, genders, nationalities, education levels. So diverse, but our love of animals brings us altogether. There is no one who posts on this board who I've thought, "Man, I wish they'd go away!" From Mary who could almost be my granddaughter to the folks who are "grannies", the women and the men, the Americans and the Europeans (and the occasional Aussie or Asian), the ones with the sometimes misspelled words to the ones with perfect English, I enjoy hearing from everyone.

And, I know I've gone on too long already, but I must address Cartwheel, too:

I wish the time you had taken to post your lengthy message had instead been spent reading some of our posts. You would have known, then, that you are preaching to the choir. We occasionally get someone who posts and runs: They state their controversial opinion in one post and then are never heard from again. I hope that is not what you intend to do, because if your post is from the heart, you will fit right in here. You will see that most of us have adopted either from shelters or from right off the street. Some of us foster or have fostered in the past. Alot of us donate time, money, and/or materials to the local shelters and national rescue groups. You would find out that descriptions of the different types of shelters have been explained in these posts before. (But we understand that they all have a place - whether no-kill or not.) I am glad for your concern and hope that you stick around, and I also hope that you continue to try to convince people that shelter and rescued animals should be considered by people wanting to adopt, even if they are looking for a particular breed. It's what we've been saying all along! :D :D

[Daisy's Mom]

POTD was my first message board. How lucky I am to have my first board be the best on the net!

Since I enjoy myself so much here, I wanted to join some more boards, so I went to a Basset Hound owner's board. I was skimming through their posts and was astonished at what I saw. Fights over whose dog was cuter (how juvenile!), little misunderstandings that lead to huge arguments, even profane swearing and insult-throwing. Coming from Pet of the Day, I was shocked at what else is out there. I had no idea people could be like that. It really made me appreciate what we have here so much. On that other board, no one seemed to know each other. They expressed some sympathy when needed, but it was given half-heartedly.

Pet Talk is, in my mind and I am sure in everyone else's here, the best message board on the net. It's full of caring, sweet, loving people who are all truly connected through their love for their pets. Karen and Paul, thank you for giving me and all of us this wonderful board, this safe haven from the rest of the "bad guys" on all those other boards! This is honestly the best site ever!

[Gio]

Cartwheel,

I really hope that a perhaps unfortunate choice of words from an unknown source will not put you off coming back to this board.

Please take the time to read trough the various topics you will find that the majority of people have adopted from shelters or rescue groups and everyone is very sensitive on this issue. There are lot of people who volunteer, foster or help in some way or other. Some of us have adopted ill or pets with handicapped who would have otherwise have found it difficult to find a loving home.

This is a board full of caring wonderful people, don't miss the opportunity to get to know them.


[ August 02, 2001: Message edited by: Gio ]

[ August 02, 2001: Message edited by: Gio ]

[alexnell]

I love Cat of the Day and Pet Talk. At about the same time as I found this site (right after I went online), I started posting on another great cat website. I'm also a member of a mailing list for people with the INTP personality type (I rarely post, though).

[catwoman]

Originally posted by alexnell:
<STRONG>I love Cat of the Day and Pet Talk. At about the same time as I found this site (right after I went online), I started posting on another great cat website. I'm also a member of a mailing list for people with the INTP personality type (I rarely post, though).</STRONG>

... must be the Introvert in you. ;)

[Albea]

This is the first and only message board where I post messages. I tried the MSN Golden Retriever site but it takes forever to load and it's not as friendly as POTD. I come here every day, even when I should be doing something else, like right now :rolleyes: Thank you Paul and Karen for your hard work in setting this up and God bless all the generous people who care for the animals. As one of the pet charities says: "It's their world too." :)

[cr7clark]

This is the first and only message board for me too and I think the people here are wonderful! Different opinions are stated in the nicest way, and all I've seen so far has been pleasant and very informative. Kudos to everyone who posts here, I've appreciated all of their posts. :D

[4 feline house]

Yeah, Albea, animals are people too, huh? :D

[Sudilar]

This is not my first BB, but it is by far the absolute BEST! This is "home". Everyone here is truly concerned and interested in everyone else. I don't find that on any other BB. It is entertaining, fun, exciting, nerve-wracking, informative and supportive. Everyday I can't wait to get my DOTD "fix" and that means a few times a day and before bedtime, too. The support here is unbelieveable. I know people have worried as much about my dog as I also have worried about theirs! This is an award-winning site in my mind and my heart!!

Cartwheel, you sound like a big supporter of shelter adoption!!!! So am I!!!!! As you will see in my signature, I push adoption every chance I get!! There are many of us who do the same. There are shelter volunteers here, also. We are all pet lovers, no matter what their breed or origins are. There are many rescued pets on this board. Many. Come on, join us. You'll see what we are like and you just might like what you see!!

Well, this is my first message board ever. I was never the type, and then Pet Talk came along. They all sucked me right in!!!!!!!! I have never 'met' such caring and loving people before! I jumped right in and have never looked back. I don't even want to attempt to join other boards because there is only one for me... THIS ONE :D! I don't think I could find one as good as this one.

It still amazes me how much support there is here and compassion. We all treat each other like family. Even if there are disagreements or varied opinions, everyone goes out of their way to put their response nicely and honestly. It is wonderful! This topic is a perfect example! Just look at the responses to Cartweel's post :) I love Pet Talk and it is a daily visit for me...well, hourly visit!

Our animals have come from so many different places. Each of my 3 came from all different places. Lexi I bought from a lady selling mixed breed puppies (best $60 EVER!), Sasha came from a friend who couldn't keep her anymore and Maddie was a stray I found and adopted from the shelter that she was taken to. I will begin volunteering for Arizona Animal Welfare League in a few weeks as well. YAY!!!! So, cartweel, we hope you stick around and enjoy it here. NO ONE on this board feels that any dog is less worthy than any other and no one will look at anyone differently just because of how they obtained their dogs. So, we agree completely with what you say. Adoption is such a great way (and in my opinion preferrable) to get an animal. Some breeders are out for the all mighty dollar and status. But there are decent caring breeders as well. Far be it from me to judge anyone. That description that you saw definitely DID NOT reflect the sentiments of ANYONE on this board or the moderators. We hope you stay and enjoy this and discover just how wonderful everyone is....

okay, sorry. I'm done rambling :)

[ownerof3dogs]

This is my first and last

[Pam]

It looks like most of us are newcomers to this type of thing, with 13 yes and 8 no. How lucky for us that we found the best site on our first try! :)

[Fuzzy317]

I began posting on another BBS before finding this one. I still go to the other just to read the posts. That BBS is about my other interest, motorcycle racing, I enjoy this BBS much more.

On the other BBS, there is bickering and lots of posturing about who is better. The other BBS does not allow "signatures", no pictures are allowed, and they are using the old version of the BBS software.

[4 feline house]

NO PICTURES!!! None of us would survive!