Technology To The Rescue: The ASPCA To Manage Upgraded Shelter Management System To Help End The Euthanasia Of Adoptable Animals Nationwide

     (NEW YORK, NY) May 18, 2001 - The American Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCA) is pleased to announce that it has contracted with ALT-KIE Computer Consultants, a custom software development company based in Minneapolis, MN to upgrade PetWhere®, a comprehensive shelter management software system. ALT-KIE will combine the technology of their AIMS shelter management software with the PetWhere 2.6 version to create a new and innovative software program, PetWhere 3.0, which will become available in fall 2001. PetWhere was originally developed by the Bosack-Kruger Foundation in 1990 to provide animal shelters with a management software system to track the animals they care for and tools for them to reach optimal management and peak efficiency. The Bosack-Kruger Foundation will provide support for the ASPCA National Shelter Outreach (NSO) team to provide free technical support and training to upgrade PetWhere 2.6 users to PetWhere 3.0. The ASPCA will also continue free distribution of PetWhere 3.0 to animal shelters and rescue groups nationwide.

     ALT-KIE and The ASPCA expect to capitalize on their shared strengths in the development process. The new partnership will leverage The ASPCA’s expertise in shelter management and operations, behavioral sciences and shelter medicine with ALT-KIE’s software development skills and experience developing software for the animal shelter community. The new version will utilize existing features of PetWhere 2.6 such as allowing shelters to track basic operations including animal receiving, lost and found, animal care, spaying and neutering, adoption, euthanasia, licensing and field services. The upgraded version will make it easier for shelters to uplink adoptable pets to The ASPCA/Petfinder site, the nation’s largest searchable directory of adoptable companion animals online and other web based applications. “The ASPCA is dedicated to making this nation one where no adoptable animals are euthanized. We are committed to finding innovative ways such as PetWhere 3.0 to help shelters and rescue groups across the country accomplish this goal,” said Dr. Larry Hawk, ASPCA President and CEO.

    “We are thrilled to be working with ALT-KIE to upgrade PetWhere 2.6 and are hopeful to have as many as 3000 shelters nationwide using this new product.”

     The Bosack-Kruger Foundation has recognized The ASPCA as the leader in the animal welfare movement in using technology to save companion animals’ lives. “We are preparing to expand our support services by hiring dedicated technical support staff and launching a nationwide training program for PetWhere 3.0 users,” said David Flagler, ASPCA PetWhere Program Director. “The ASPCA is committed to maintaining the PetWhere 3.0 software program and keeping it up to date with new options, add-ons and modifications.”

     Initiated in 1990 by the Bosack-Kruger Foundation of Redmond, WA, the PetWhere project grew out of a difficult personal experience of one of the foundation’s founders. As she searched for her lost cat among several San Francisco Bay area shelters, she became convinced that the shelters – as well as the animals in the community – could really benefit from computerization. Her vision was to provide the means for animal shelters to capture and share data about animals in order to reunite lost pets with their owners and find new homes for animals that need them. Today, PetWhere 2.6 is used by 800 animal care and control facilities in the United States and Canada.

    The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1866 as the first humane organization in the Western Hemisphere. Today, The ASPCA has over 672,000 members and donors, and continues to prevent cruelty and alleviate the pain, fear, and suffering of animals through nationwide education, awareness, legal and legislative programs. The ASPCA headquarters in New York City houses one of the area's largest full service animal hospitals, an adoption facility, and the Humane Law Enforcement Department, which is responsible for enforcing New York's animal cruelty laws. For more information about The ASPCA, visit our Web site at www.aspca.org.