Web Site Development, Maintenance,
and Hosting
and Hosting
© 2007-2008 Laird Web Service. All rights reserved.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Rescue vs Breeders
Q: Isn’t representing both Animal Rescue Organizations and Breeders a conflict in interest since it is because of the breeders that there are so many dogs needing rescue?
A: No, that would be incorrect. As I am a 100% pro-rescue person myself, I have often asked that same question to others. I do understand the frustration and tragedy of the endless cycle of discarded and unwanted dogs and cats in the shelter and given up by their owner.
However, reputable, proven breeders are still very much a necessity for not only the preservation of the breed standards yet for the improvement of the lines of the breed they are breeding. The breeders that have earned their right to be members of the AKC breed clubs have worked very hard at proving themselves to be reputable breeders. They have proven themselves with not only the show judges yet also with their highly esteemed peers. Additionally they invest a lot of time plus money in health, genetic, and temperament screening on all of their breeding pairs in addition to the doing the same on their puppies before placement. These breeders are definitely not into this for the money, they do this for the betterment of the breed.
Reputable/quality Breeders are also very actively involved in Rescue in one form or another. They are making themselves part of the solution, not part of the problem and futhermore; will stand by their own dogs by taking them back should there be a failed placement.
Although it would be ideal if everyone that is wishing to add a new dog in their home as a cherished pet/family member; that they would consider adopting from a reputable/quality rescue organization or from a shelter; it is a statisical reality; be it from lack of education on the benefits of rescue as just one example; that only a small percentage of people do adopt. The majority of people want to start out with a puppy so they can be the ones to train the pup and to mold it into their home and lifestyle. Plus if they already have other pets in their home, it is a bit risky to bring in an adult dog or any dog for that matter from a shelter/rescue when the history/background of the dog is pretty much unknown or unclear; even despite proper temperament assessments / evaluations / testing becoming the norm for many Rescue programs. They are just not willing to put their other animals and/or kids/families at any kind of risk.
Additionally, a well educated dog person that wants to add a pup to their home would have better odds of a long living, sound and healthy dog; should they purchase from a reputable breeder after doing the proper research, knowing that the pup, and his parents, have already been health, genetic, and temperament tested. The chances of a pup growing up with major health or genetic temperament problems is less likely to occur from a reputable breeder than from a “breeder” of questionable background or obtaining their new addition from the shelther or pound.
As stated above, the reputable breeder spends a lot of money on each litter to make sure that each pup is healthy and sound. As a result of that, these breeders really don’t make a lot of money from each litter. In fact, a lot of breeders have to invest their own money, over and above the cost of the puppy sale. With that said, these breeders don’t have a lot of financial resources to invest in a fancy, eye-catching website.
Since the majority of puppy “hunters” initially will shop for a breeder on the internet, the reputable breeders need to have more of a presence there. Otherwise, the buyers will find a lot of fancy websites put up by the Puppy Millers and Back Yard Breeders and will more than likely get a pup from one of them. It’s the BYB puppies and the Puppy Mill (Pet Shop) puppies that are ending up in shelters and rescue … not the reputable breeders puppies (in most cases).
This is why I feel very strongly about providing my service to the reputable breeders. I keep my prices low so that it is affordable to these breeders. And I do not, and will not, provide services to Back Yard Breeders or Puppy-Millers, or any other breeder that is not a member of the AKC breed clubs.
My Prices
Q: Why are your prices so low? Don’t people “get what they pay for”?
A: I am not into this for the money. I started out my web development service as a means of helping and supporting rescue organizations. As I have been actively involved in rescue for many years, I understand the lack of funds that rescue organizations struggle with on a daily basis. The money that they collect from the adoption fees is not nearly enough to cover all the expenses they have to invest in saving these animals lives. Most rescue organizations have little or no resources available to pay for a professional web developer to create a website for them. So, as a way of helping and supporting all rescue organizations, I provide my web development services for a cost that is usually reachable for them. There are some rescue organizations, however, that don’t even have a small amount of money for a website, so my services are not obtainable to them … yet.
As I also provide web development services to non-rescue organizations and business, I still keep my prices low and obtainable for them too.
Web Site Maintenance
Q: Once my website is developed, can I make changes and maintain the site myself?
A: Yes you can. If you have an HTML editor software, like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, you can import the web pages to your own computer, make the appropriate changes, and upload the changed pages back to the hosting site. I do not have the ability to provide you with support in using these programs, so you will already need to have the skills to do this yourself.
All websites that I develop are in HTLM format and are fully compatible with any HTML editor.
However, I know that you are busy, and need to focus your time and energy on running your business, which is why I offer website maintenance to my clients for a very low annual fee. I offer a monthly and a bi-monthly maintenance program, I send out reminder emails to ask you if you have any changes, and I make the changes within 48 hours of scheduled date. You can send me change requests at any time during the month, so you don't forget it, and I will hold on to your change request until the appropriate update scheduled time.
Client References/Referrals
Q: Can I contact your clients for a reference?
A: Yes you may. Any of my clients would be very happy to send you a letter of recommendation. Since alot of my clients are rescue organizations, their time is very limited, so please be patient with them ... they will eventually respond back to you.
Rescue vs Breeders
Q: Isn’t representing both Animal Rescue Organizations and Breeders a conflict in interest since it is because of the breeders that there are so many dogs needing rescue?
A: No, that would be incorrect. As I am a 100% pro-rescue person myself, I have often asked that same question to others. I do understand the frustration and tragedy of the endless cycle of discarded and unwanted dogs and cats in the shelter and given up by their owner.
However, reputable, proven breeders are still very much a necessity for not only the preservation of the breed standards yet for the improvement of the lines of the breed they are breeding. The breeders that have earned their right to be members of the AKC breed clubs have worked very hard at proving themselves to be reputable breeders. They have proven themselves with not only the show judges yet also with their highly esteemed peers. Additionally they invest a lot of time plus money in health, genetic, and temperament screening on all of their breeding pairs in addition to the doing the same on their puppies before placement. These breeders are definitely not into this for the money, they do this for the betterment of the breed.
Reputable/quality Breeders are also very actively involved in Rescue in one form or another. They are making themselves part of the solution, not part of the problem and futhermore; will stand by their own dogs by taking them back should there be a failed placement.
Although it would be ideal if everyone that is wishing to add a new dog in their home as a cherished pet/family member; that they would consider adopting from a reputable/quality rescue organization or from a shelter; it is a statisical reality; be it from lack of education on the benefits of rescue as just one example; that only a small percentage of people do adopt. The majority of people want to start out with a puppy so they can be the ones to train the pup and to mold it into their home and lifestyle. Plus if they already have other pets in their home, it is a bit risky to bring in an adult dog or any dog for that matter from a shelter/rescue when the history/background of the dog is pretty much unknown or unclear; even despite proper temperament assessments / evaluations / testing becoming the norm for many Rescue programs. They are just not willing to put their other animals and/or kids/families at any kind of risk.
Additionally, a well educated dog person that wants to add a pup to their home would have better odds of a long living, sound and healthy dog; should they purchase from a reputable breeder after doing the proper research, knowing that the pup, and his parents, have already been health, genetic, and temperament tested. The chances of a pup growing up with major health or genetic temperament problems is less likely to occur from a reputable breeder than from a “breeder” of questionable background or obtaining their new addition from the shelther or pound.
As stated above, the reputable breeder spends a lot of money on each litter to make sure that each pup is healthy and sound. As a result of that, these breeders really don’t make a lot of money from each litter. In fact, a lot of breeders have to invest their own money, over and above the cost of the puppy sale. With that said, these breeders don’t have a lot of financial resources to invest in a fancy, eye-catching website.
Since the majority of puppy “hunters” initially will shop for a breeder on the internet, the reputable breeders need to have more of a presence there. Otherwise, the buyers will find a lot of fancy websites put up by the Puppy Millers and Back Yard Breeders and will more than likely get a pup from one of them. It’s the BYB puppies and the Puppy Mill (Pet Shop) puppies that are ending up in shelters and rescue … not the reputable breeders puppies (in most cases).
This is why I feel very strongly about providing my service to the reputable breeders. I keep my prices low so that it is affordable to these breeders. And I do not, and will not, provide services to Back Yard Breeders or Puppy-Millers, or any other breeder that is not a member of the AKC breed clubs.
My Prices
Q: Why are your prices so low? Don’t people “get what they pay for”?
A: I am not into this for the money. I started out my web development service as a means of helping and supporting rescue organizations. As I have been actively involved in rescue for many years, I understand the lack of funds that rescue organizations struggle with on a daily basis. The money that they collect from the adoption fees is not nearly enough to cover all the expenses they have to invest in saving these animals lives. Most rescue organizations have little or no resources available to pay for a professional web developer to create a website for them. So, as a way of helping and supporting all rescue organizations, I provide my web development services for a cost that is usually reachable for them. There are some rescue organizations, however, that don’t even have a small amount of money for a website, so my services are not obtainable to them … yet.
As I also provide web development services to non-rescue organizations and business, I still keep my prices low and obtainable for them too.
Web Site Maintenance
Q: Once my website is developed, can I make changes and maintain the site myself?
A: Yes you can. If you have an HTML editor software, like Frontpage or Dreamweaver, you can import the web pages to your own computer, make the appropriate changes, and upload the changed pages back to the hosting site. I do not have the ability to provide you with support in using these programs, so you will already need to have the skills to do this yourself.
All websites that I develop are in HTLM format and are fully compatible with any HTML editor.
However, I know that you are busy, and need to focus your time and energy on running your business, which is why I offer website maintenance to my clients for a very low annual fee. I offer a monthly and a bi-monthly maintenance program, I send out reminder emails to ask you if you have any changes, and I make the changes within 48 hours of scheduled date. You can send me change requests at any time during the month, so you don't forget it, and I will hold on to your change request until the appropriate update scheduled time.
Client References/Referrals
Q: Can I contact your clients for a reference?
A: Yes you may. Any of my clients would be very happy to send you a letter of recommendation. Since alot of my clients are rescue organizations, their time is very limited, so please be patient with them ... they will eventually respond back to you.