I'm sorry for the confusion some of you are having about our service.

I invited you to visit our website where, I hope, an explanation is clear.

For those of you who do not care to visit our site but are making assumptions
of what Pet Owner's Friend is about... let me explain.

For $19.95 a year we issue a plastic card much like a credit card.  It has a
primary ID number on it, a security code, and an expiration date... just like
a credit card.

The card has imbedded printing so it won't scratch or wear off... that is...
there is a layer of clear laminate on top of the printing.

It's a bright international orange and it has specific instructions to
police, fire, medical, or rescue personnel that if this person is
incapacitated to please visit our website, click on the RESCUE button and
initiate a rescue by entering the ID number on the card as well as the
security code.  That won't stop somone using a stolen card from maliciously
initiating a rescue but the security code will stop them from arbitrarily
entering other numbers.

When you enroll you get to enter as many pets as you like into the pet
database with detailed information about each pet.  You also can enter as
many pet rescue contacts as you like.  These would be friends or family
members who, if notified by an urgent email, would immediately attend to your
pets.  There are never any additional charges to enter pets or contacts or
change them at will.

In fact, you can print as many extra cards as you like with your personal ID
and security code right off the website to use in your car, luggage, wallet,
or purse... anywhere you like.

There are never any additional charges save a $5 fee for lost or stolen cards
as we have to issue a new card and Pet Owner ID Number.

None of that information is ever revealed and in the event a rescue was
initiated the system would have no way of knowing the nature of your
emergency or your whereabouts... it simply initiates notification of your
trusted pet rescue contacts.

Originally we wanted a check-in service whereby the cardholder would check in
with us every two or three days on the website.  If we didn't hear from them
we'd get worried and try to contact them... and if we couldn't... we'd
activate an urgent rescue notification to their contacts.  Obviously, this
had implications as being a watch service for people as well.

We abandoned this idea because we felt people would not check-in regularly
and thus we'd have a lot of false alarms.

As a reasonable compromise we came up with the Pet Owner's Rescue Card.  The
drawback is that it depends on you being discovered so if you collapse at
home with a stroke it won't do much good.  However, if you are in a car
accident or any medical emergency where you are discovered and your card is
with you then your pets will likely get immediate and possibly life saving
care.

The real benifit is the card is with you wherever you go and your data is
intact in our database so nobody is looking for slips of paper or anything
else to notify anyone you have pets at home... the information is reliably
available 24 hours a day 7 days a week anywhere in the world a computer is
connected to the internet... and this means almost ALL police, emergency, and
health care services.

Granted, it is NOT a complete solution but it can go a long way to getting
help to your pets in an emergency and at the very least, without revealing
any of your personal information, it will notify contacts there IS an
emergency.

Next week I am adding the ability for anyone initiating a rescue on the
website to include a note to contacts.  This means a message can be sent in
the blind to the contacts.  This would potentially identify the reporting
agent (police, fire, or medical location and a phone number to contact them)
so any of the contacts who receive the rescue alert will be able to call back
and learn of the nature of the emergency.

One argument I keep getting from people is that many of us have arrangements
before we travel... to insure our pets are taken care of.  If you travel to
your local market and fall over with a stroke or get in a car accident (most
fatal car accidents occure within 25 miles of home and at speeds below 40
MPH)... who would know who you are or that you have pets at home.

Another argument is that this is only good for retired people as most of us
have friends or fellow workers who would investigate... so, on a three day
weekend you have not travel arrangements you go out on the first day and get
in an accident.  It's going to be Tuesday or Wednesday before anyone really
checks up.  Since you were planning to be home that evening you don't
particularly think of stocking up the pet's dishes or even their water dish.  
Potentially, that's four days without water or food.  It happens all the time
(check with your local animal shelter)... and pets die all the time from
situations just like this... and these are people surrounded by friends and
co-workers!

It's not just about traveling... for that matter, you could find yourself
stranded in some situation you wanted to initiate notification of your
contacts yourself.

We like to think that with the Pet Owner's Rescue Card, as a compromise
solution, you are carrying your pet's safety with you wherever you go.

Only two people have labeled me a spammer.  I made a simple appeal for help
to identify needs and get ideas to improve either our product or our
presentation of the service.  For Caroline and I it is about raising money
for animal welfare.

The overwhelming majority have been completely supportive, some signed up
(and we're grateful for that)... and we have gotten some good ideas of how to
improve the system.

I did not ask anyone to come to our website and spend money as ONE person has
asserted.  If I had done that it would have said to visit us... for only
$19.95 you can... bla bla bla.  I believe I asked... please visit us and
offer constructive advice.