New Site AnimalAttraction.com Combines Pets, Dating

Posted on June 11, 2004

Animal Attraction, an online dating and special events community for pet lovers, has launched following a two-month preview period in which the company saw new members joining from all fifty states. Numerous new dating and social networking sites have launched in the past twelve months and many more are anticipated. AnimalAttraction.com will compete with sites like Dogster, which focuses on dating and networking for dog owners.

The new company is the project of Dan Cohen, a former executive with the NFL�s Washington Redskins, the NBA�s Washington Wizards and the NHL�s Washington Capitals. Cohen�s former company, DC Consulting, recently helped broker the sale of an NBA and NHL franchise. Cohen talked to scores of single adult pet owners of all ages, races, ethnicities and backgrounds as part of his research into the viability of the concept.

"I found that most pet owners consider their pets to be members of their family," said Cohen. "They want their friends or romantic interests to feel the same way -- so I set out to create a place where people who love pets can find and interact with others who share the same values and positive traits that seem to define pet lovers."

According to the American Pet product Manufacturers Association�s 2003/2004 National Pet Owners Survey U.S. consumers spend an estimated $31 billion annually on products and services for their pets. At the same time, U.S. consumers spent nearly $500 million on internet-based dating in 2003; Jupiter Research projects that consumer spending for online dating will exceed $700 million by 2007.

Animal Attraction members can communicate through email, instant messaging, chat rooms and message boards. The site also features pet care information from the Humane Society of The United States and information on Animal Attraction "meet-ups" and Animal Attraction-hosted events across the country.