New Hope For Your Lonely Dog

January 27, 2001 Staunton, VA, USA.

"Separation anxiety" is a very real condition in pets, according to canine psychiatrists.  If your dog exhibits erratic or destructive behavior, such as "digging up the flowers", "tearing up the trash", and (who can ever forget) "messing in your shoes", chances are your pooch doesn't need discipline or training so much as he/she needs company.

True, it may not always be feasible to get a second dog, and doggy daycare and boarding services can get expensive for owners who leave for work each day.  That's where Noel and Anne Munson come in.  At the request of Emily, their 2-year-old Shepherd-Rottweiler, the Munsons have launched www.dogpals.com, a service that matches your stay-at-home dog with other stay-at-home dogs in your area for potential playmates.

Dogs are matched by several criteria, such as size, breed, play-level, spay/neuter or sociability.  A nationwide zip code search narrows it down to someone who may be right there in your own neighborhood.  It also lists an option if you'd either like to have another dog come visit your home, or drop your dog off at another person's house.

"Why not have the benefit of a second dog without getting another dog?  There's no one who can exercise a dog like another dog," Anne Munson said.

As the website expands, Dogpals will also be showing photographs of dogs, local events and activities, and possibly even branching off into other pets as well.

Does it really work?  The proof is in the pooches—ask Emily and her new dogpal Jingles. Mrs. Munson says," There's a huge change in Emily-just the fact that she has a living being around."  

Noel adds, "She doesn't appear as desperate and her muzzle isn't covered with dirt."

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