SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Animal Rescue Rhode Island lets prospective adopters – or those who just want to play – interact with felines virtually, thanks to a donation that allowed the Peace Dale no-kill shelter to obtain the technology.
ARRI is offering the internet-based virtual play system through iPet Companion, a product from Boise, Idaho-based Reach-in that allows people to play with shelter animals via the web from anywhere in the world.
“Besides this being great playtime and exercise for our cats, iPet provides a way to virtually get to know the kittens and cats who are staying with us at ARRI until they find their new families,” Susan Lovejoy, interim executive director, ARRI, said in a statement. “Technology like this helps us connect with more of our community and that’s really important to us.”
Users will be placed into a virtual queue where they can watch live video until it is their turn to control the camera and toys during a two-minute session. Play with the shelter cats by clicking HERE.
ARRI Board President Doug Rubinstein said the organization is also looking forward to using the technology in its education outreach program.
“Other shelters who use the system have reported increases of kitten adoptions of 18 percent and website traffic up 52 percent, and we hope to have similar success,” Rubinstein said.
Scott Harris, founder of Reach-in, said his company is “happy to provide the technology that allows these physical, and personal, interactions for both the animals at the sanctuaries and the online users. Connecting people and pets in this way provides unique opportunities of positivity and happiness.”
ARRI was able to receive the system because of a donation by David Lerner of the Clicker Institute, which funded a study to better understand how the use of technology in shelters affects people’s choices of adopting cats, as well as the overall impact on outreach and community engagement technology has for animal welfare organizations.
