Adopt, don't shop! > Where to go to find your perfect pet Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor LL“ been thinking about adopting another pet recently. I already have a cat, but with the prospect of moving soon, I'm scared she might get lonely without the companionship of the other animals in my current household. Pico, my cat, is also the reason I’ve decided on getting a small dog. Because she grew up with friendly dogs, she actually prefers them to other cats. The size of the dog doesn't really matter, beyond the fact I'll be moving into an apartment, so a small dog would probably be a lot happier than a larger one that might feel closed-in or restricted. With that in mind, personal preference leans me more towards a Pomeranian, because omg fluffy!—but whether it’s a purebred or not doesn’t really matter. With all this in mind I set out on my search to find a dog that would suit both mine and Pico’s needs. What I found is that adopting any sort of animal is a lot harder than I expected. Not because there’s not a lot available—there is—but actually finding them is an issue. I know for sure that I don’t want to just buy a dog from a breeder, in part because it’s expensive, but also because I don’t want to inadvertently support a puppy mill, which is avery real possibility when looking at toy breed dogs. I also, morally, don't like the idea of buying when adoption is an option for a dog that really needs a loving home—and believe me, the home would be loving. Between myself, my family, and my boyfriend, we're all huge animal lovers. The go-to would seem to be the SPCA, but unfortunately their website is hardly ever updated; you can’t filter animals by anything but general species and location, and the details provided about the animals are pretty vague. For instance, the dog profiles will say whether or not they can be adopted by families with small children, but it won't say anything about if the dog will get along with other animals. Hence my quest to find a friend for me and Pico was halted. Another option I considered was to talk to a vet. Generally, vets know which local rescue societies can cater to what youre looking for, and they’re always willing to provide you with information regarding animal adoption. After all, most people that get into the veterinary science are animal lovers too. Many vet offices will also have animals on location from local rescue societies that are Compartmentalizing your phone and your wallet > ‘Stocard’ app review Brittney MacDonald Life & Style Editor s a general rule, I tend to carry opera wallets—those types of wallets that can double as a clutch purse if you don’t want to drag a huge bag with you somewhere. Because of this I have very limited space within said wallet, so crowding it with membership cards and the like is just not a possibility. Until recently that meant that when offered loyalty programs for my favourite stores, | usually had to decline. Mostly because my wallet couldn't fit them, but also because keeping track of different membership cards and points just seemed like a huge hassle. That is, until I tried out Stocard. Now, backtracking a bit, I knew I wasn't the only one with this issue of overloading your wallet—otherwise why would companies like Starbucks, Scene, and Sephora swap their traditional membership card service for a purely digital version? Most large-scale companies nowadays have an app that will not only keep track of your membership card, but also your point status and what offers you can access. The issues I had with this was that it was disorganized— honestly, searching for a specific app in your phone is no different than digging through your wallet for a particular membership card—and I don’t have unlimited data, so sometimes the app I needed wouldn't work because I was either connected to really crappy WiFi, or I was outside a service zone. Scene is notorious for this, especially if you have TimePlay at all, because the Cineplex theatre will automatically connect you to the TimePlay WiFi, which won't allow you to access the Cineplex app where your Scene card data/image is stored. Stocard addresses both of these issues, and it’s free. For one, it condenses all of your membership cards into one app, so you don't have to search for them. You can even set it as a widget on Android phones so that it will display your most used membership cards as icons within a folder, and you can tap them to directly bring them up, without having to open the whole app. Secondly, the membership card it stores is kept as an image, so you always have access to it no matter if you're connected—either through data or WiFi—or not. This accessibility differentiates it from other, similar apps. Another point of difference is the ability to add a card, even if that particular company doesn’t have a partnership with EN -W-lOM(o(-t- Mich mB cela ee M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca adoptable, but they usually tend to be cats. | especially encourage this option if youre less inclined to adopt, and are looking to buy a puppy. Vets know which breeders are reputable, and can point you in the right direction. However, in terms of adoption, though vets can provide you with a list of local rescue societies, you'll then still have to go to the society themselves—either through their website or to a physical location—to see what animals are available and if they’re a good fit for you. This can be time consuming. The last option I’ve explored is Pet Finder. Pet Finder is kind of like a craigslist for animal adoption. People or organizations will create profiles for animals they have up for adoption and you can browse these to find the perfect pet for you. They also offer an extensive range of filters to make your searching easier. Stuff like “small breed” and “dog,” can now also be accompanied by “cat- friendly” and “house-trained”—which puts them a few steps above the SPCA. The last benefit is the in-depth write-ups available for each animal. Because these profiles are created by people in personal contact with the animal, they can go into great detail regarding personality, temperament, and history. Though many Stocard. Don’t get me wrong, the library of affiliate companies is extensive— everywhere from Toys R’ Us to Alaska Airlines—but there is an option to add a card if you need to. As long as the card works on a scan-and-get-points system, you can add it, Stocard just won't be able to keep track of those points like it can with other, partnered companies. Because the card is stored as an image, Stocard doesn’t need to have access to any sort of account, it simply translates your membership number into a scan- able bar code that you can then name and save in the app or in the widget. ( Bringing back the 40s (Y¥ Get good: Carry me! (¥ Bugs for food And more! of these profiles request an in-person meeting with the animal beforehand (you should be doing that anyway), these profiles do give you a good idea of how these animals may fit into your life, and what complications may arise. Photo by Brittney MacDonald Image via angel.co My one issue with Stocard is the message spam it sends you. For me, I don’t really pay attention to membership offers or deals, so getting updates regarding what Shoppers Drug Mart or other such companies are giving away to cardholders doesn't really matter to me, and the constant updates can get annoying. I just want to use the card if I happen to be in the store. But, if you mute this or simply disallow the app from sending you push notifications, then youre good to go. Allin all, I'd definitely recommend this app, if only for the seam integrity of your wallet.