Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Pets.com
Remember them? The sock puppet?Pets.com is, like, the poster child for the dot com crash. They epitomized the excess -- and lack of strategy -- evident during the rapid ascent of popularity of the world wide web.
Today, we have a better idea of what "works" on the Internet. (Memo to the CEO: shipping large, heavy bags of dog food doesn't.)
How ironic then, that while pet supplies were one of the biggest losers in the early 2000s, the biggest winners were shelters and rescue groups all over the country, working hard to find homes for pets in need. Ten years ago, you wouldn't drive to an animal shelter 30 miles away to see if they had any cats you liked. But IF you saw the perfect two-year-old-white-kitty-with-just-a-bit-of-orange-on-the-tips-of-his-ears, and by the way "he's" a she, and you were looking for a female kitty.... well, a 30-mile drive is nothing.
Viewing the available animals at www.virtualpetadoptions.com and www.petfinder.com is like visiting a dozen or more shelters in one afternoon.
Pets.com was a bust. Their legacy, however, was a win for homeless pets everywhere.
