Purina Acquires Pet Adoption Site Petfinder

Pet food manufacturer Nestlé Purina announced it will acquire the 17-year-old pet adoption site Petfinder. Purina brand manager Michael Kotick says the company has no immediate plans to alter the Petfinder platform, but acknowledges that the goal is to eventually transform the site into a content-marketing and community-building vehicle that would offer location-based services, nutritional expertise and heightened socialization. Petfinder, owned by Animal Planet parent Discovery Communications, has been involved in 22 million pet adoptions. Its mission dovetails with Purina's, according to Kotick: the company invests $30 million annually in pet welfare. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.