Name of your website?New Beginnings Shepherd Rescue
Your name?
Midge Burton
Your Location (city, etc)
Holly Hill
Please give us a short summary of your website?
New Beginnings Shepherd Rescue is a non-profit charitable organization the rescues dogs that are abandoned and from shelters before any more harm comes to them. We assess them, feed and bathe them, shelter them, and give them tons of love until they find a compatible "forever home" where they will be adopted into for life.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
To put the word out there that there are so many dogs that need loving home. To let everyone know that shelter and rescue dogs are every bit as loving and wonderful as any other dog. That puppy mills are out there breeding dogs over and over and only care about the money they can get, NOT the dogs!
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
This is our first website. We launched it around Dec. 2007 and is a dog rescue and adoption site.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
New Beginnings seemed appropriate because we take the abused and unwanted dogs and give them a chance for a New Beginning.
What makes it different from other, similar offerings?
Not sure there is a big difference when it comes to dog rescue sites. There is only one common goal of all of them....to rescue, care for, and find loving homes for these wonderful dogs.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
To get the word out about the value of rescue dogs. They are wonderful and it is a joy to have one in your home. To let everyone know that MANY of those "cute puppies" you see in a pet shop come from a puppy mill, and they are NOT as healthy as you may think.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
I have spent countless hours on building and maintaining this website. The owner of the rescue eats, sleeps, and breathes dogs. Our resuce is very successful even if we are a young rescue, and we usually have around 30 dogs here almost all the time. As one goes to a new home, another abused or unwanted one is brought in.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I'm not sure what you mean by "unlimited development budget for development". Here again, my partner and I are "all about the dogs". She handles the dog part, and I handle the computer part. I suppose if there was an unlimited budget, there are many changes we would "like" to make. Most of it would be the physical aspects of the rescue itself by more and better accommodations for the dogs, thus giving us the ability to take in more dogs that no one wants or had abandoned. We would also probably upgrade our computer hardware. I would desparately like to have a laptop to be mobile so I could go where I need to, and be able to work "on-site" instead of trying to remember it all until I got back to my computer. I'd also like to take some courses in webdesign.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I am not sure, I think I'd enlist some help if it got beyond me, because keeping it up is important to our mission.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
The unexpected costs and headaches are with the dog rescue itself rather than the website.
What has been your biggest challenge?
There again, the rescue is the biggest challenge. Finding ways to fund our needs, which is very difficult to find. We pour every penny we personally have into the resuce, but with no funding, we are having a terrible challenge. That is why we are trying so hard to get the word out about us.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Word of mouth is the biggest advertiser. We have also told the other rescue across the country, and they are passing the word on also.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Running the website really didn't have any expectations I had not planned on as of yet.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
Like I have said all along...."It's ALL for the dogs", so we will continue to keep the site up so these dogs can have a second chance at happiness by being adopted. People have to know they are here and available.
If you could tell the people viewing this interview, what would you like to tell them?
I would like to tell them to visit our website and see the work we are doing. I would tell them that dogs are not meant to be tied in the backyard and forgotten. They are ALOT like humans, and have the same needs...love, food, compassion, companionship, health care, shelter, water, and more love, love, love. PLEASE go to the website and try to understand "their"
What is your website address?
New Beginnings Shepherd Rescue
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