About Pets On Board

Pets On Board started in Wilkes-Barre, PA in 1995 when owner James A. Donnelly wanted to help animals online when he discovered that online adoptions did not exist. Donnelly set out to give web development a try experimenting with the world wide web in 1992. Digital cameras did not exist to the level of today and were extremely expensive.Donnelly used his existing video camera making still images of local dogs and cats In 1995, Pets On Board was founded in Wilkes-Barre, PA by James A. Donnelly, who sought to assist animals through online platforms at a time when online adoptions were nonexistent. Donnelly, who began experimenting with web development in 1992, faced the challenge of limited and expensive digital camera technology. To overcome this, he used his video camera to capture still images of dogs and cats from the Luzerne County SPCA, which he showcased on his video page, Moonvideo, as a trial. This project eventually evolved into PetsOnBoard.com, which gained popularity after being featured on local WBRE-TV and later in a nationally broadcasted story by NBC.

PBS MEDIA SHIFT Story on our sister site, PawShow.com