In 1995, James A. Donnelly founded Pets On Board in Wilkes-Barre, PA, driven by a vision to pioneer online pet adoptions when such platforms were virtually nonexistent. His journey began in 1992, experimenting with web development and navigating the limitations of early digital technology. With digital cameras prohibitively expensive, Donnelly creatively used his video camera to capture still images of dogs and cats from the Luzerne County SPCA. These images were showcased on his video page, Moonvideo, as an early trial. This innovative effort evolved into PetsOnBoard.com, which gained traction after being featured on WBRE-TV and later in a nationally broadcast NBC story, amplifying its impact in connecting pets with loving homes.