Pets adopted from H.A.R.T. Foundation are eligible for 1 free month of pet insurance from ShelterCare Insurance. To be eligible for this, it must be activated within 10 days of adopting from H.A.R.T. After the 30 days is up, the insurance coverage stops, unless you wish to continue or upgrade it.

The program covers ilnesses including kennel cough, canine parvovirus, mange/mite infections, intestinal parasites, ear infections, among others. It also covers accidents including foreign body ingestion removal, motor vehicle accident, fractures, and poison ingestion (defined.) ShelterCare provides $500 for each incident after a $50 deductible. This service is free to you from ShelterCare and Petfinder.org because H.A.R.T. is a member of Petfinder.org, a great place to find adoptable pets. For more information regarding ShelterCare Insurance, as well as to sign up, please visit ShelterCare. Below is a portion of the letter sent to Petfinder.org members explaining a little more about ShelterCare.

Hello Petfinder.com members,

We are taking a BOLD step. A step to help you show your community that you are the best choice when it comes time to add a new pet to their family.

We know that individuals in the community worry about the health of "shelter pets," and we also know that due to stress, prior neglect, and overpopulated living conditions, our pets may not always be the healthiest in town. We want to address that very realistic concern.

That's why Petfinder.com has decided to pre-pay the first 1 month of ShelterCare pet health insurance for each of your adopted cats and dogs. ShelterCare is a PetCare Pet Insurance Program that we developed specifically for your shelter/rescue pets. For the first two months they are in their new homes, it covers those illnesses and accidents which may be common to your adoptees: Kennel cough, intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections, upper respiratory tract infections, ear infections, sarcoptic and demodectic mange, parvovirus (and its feline equivalent), foreign body ingestion removal, motor vehicle accidents, fractures, and poison ingestion.

An industry first, it smoothes the pet's transition from street life to family life and helps establish a foundation of responsible pet ownership. This very special gift is available to all of your dog and cat adopters because you are a Petfinder.com member-shelter or rescue group.

This will not create additional work for you and there are no strings attached. Your only responsibility is to tell your adopters that their new pets are eligible for this gift.

Petfinder.com has pre-paid for the policy, so your adopters are not obligated to pay anything. They simply call a toll-free number to activate the coverage, which will continue for 30 days and then stop unless they choose to continue it or upgrade. Petfinder.com will be invoiced for the gift and will receive no commissions on the sale of any pet insurance plan.

We are very excited about this program. It will allow new pet owners to make decisions based on love, not finances should a new pet become sick after adoption. And newly adopted pets will be perceived as a much lower financial and medical risk.

ShelterCare Insurance : www.sheltercare.com

Petfinder.org : www.petfinder.org