Radio Interview
 

Robert Yau, Founder, Date My Pet
 &
Wendy and Russel ♥ a couple in Love ...

Viveca Stone, Host:  Robert, welcome to Get Ready For Love! Radio

Robert Yau: Hi, Viveca!  Thank you.

Viveca: You have to smile!

Robert Yau: Yes, I definitely have to smile!

Viveca: Okay.  You’ve got 18 more minutes of this, or stay with us for the full two hours and smile away (laughter).

Robert Yau: Absolutely.

Viveca: So welcome!  And are you there with my little friend, Hershey?
 

Robert Yau: That’s right.  Hershey is sitting right beside me here.

Viveca: Describe Hershey for our listeners.

Robert Yau: Hershey is a big white fluffy dog, as we call him.  He’s – for those who are dog lovers, he is a Samoyed breed.

Viveca: He’s got a beautiful smile.

Robert Yau: Oh, yes.  They have a constant smile. 

Viveca: He has a cute little nose.

Robert Yau: Right.

Viveca: Sweet eyes.

Robert Yau: Yeah.

Viveca: Now, Robert, where did you find Hershey, and is he the inspiration behind DateMyPet?

Robert Yau: Yes, absolutely.  I rescued Hershey from an grip when he was abandoned when he was one year old.  I rescued him, and that’s one thing I did so people – you know, when they can try to rescue an animal.  So he’s been with me for approximately the last four years.  Obviously, you know, I walk him to a local dog park every day. 

About a year ago while walking him through the park – well, every time I walk him in the park, he’s like a magnet for conversations.

Viveca: I can see that.  I mean, he is a total fox!

Robert Yau: Yeah.

Viveca: Look at those Peeps!
 

Robert Yau: People come up to him and say – you know, do the ooohs and ahhhs, you know, how cute he is, and then, you know, we start talking about different things.  What I noticed on a lot of his dog walks were people find animals very easy to connect to.  When I walk my dog, because of Hershey, they’ll start talking to me. 

And that’s when something clicked in my head, you know, hold on a sec!  There’s animals and people talking and people meeting.  Then I hear about my friends, and I hear about in the news how many single people are out there – the two shall come together!  That was an inspiration for the DateMyPet website.

Viveca: I want to break here and just let our listeners know something, that we’ve got a couple on who met through DateMyPet.  And do you know why they’re not on right now, Robert?

Robert Yau: Do I know why they’re not on now?

Viveca: I’ll tell you why, because this is a trick question.  Only I know the reason why they’re not on right now, because I had a nice conversation with Wendy last night, who does not stop talking – Wendy, I know you’re listening – because she is a woman in love!  That’s why you’re on right now without Wendy and Russel, so that you have a chance to talk about DateMyPet  (laughter).  Because once we get into love mode, it will not stop, which is great!  We’re supposed to want to talk about who we’ve met and be excited.  So you’ve brought together a great couple here!

Robert Yau: That’s right, and that’s very satisfying in terms of doing a business like this.

Viveca: The thing I really loved about your story, what really struck me – because it’s a theme that’s going to show up again tonight, is that although you thought about this great product and service that you wanted to do, it wasn’t until you were really flat on your back on a "time out" that you were able to make it happen.

Robert Yau: That’s – yeah.
 

Viveca: So talk about that a little bit.

Robert Yau: Yeah, so...so the idea has been actually sitting in my head for almost a year now.  But it’s one of those things, you know, with job commitments, work commitments, you never get down to do – to put into action.  Then early in March, I actually broke my ankle skiing.

Viveca: March of this year?

Robert Yau: Right, March of this year, and basically what happens is I’m totally stuck indoors with basically not much else to do --

Viveca: -- but Hershey.

Robert Yau: Right, yes (laughter), with Hershey looking at me every day, and that stuff -- you know, that started putting me into action.  So, you know, hey, I’ve got this time to spare now.  This is the best time to launch a site. 

And it started up as just a site. I’m going to put it up there, and if it works, it works.  But what amazes me was when it was up for about two weeks, we were getting a lot of media attention and a lot of people finding – you know, finding the site, and then actually enjoying the site. 

So it grew very quickly, and then, we took action and made it into a business.  We actually made it into an official business at the beginning of September.

Viveca: I love your story about the cockroach!  Because your pets not just dogs and cats.

Robert Yau: Right.

Viveca: You even have people with cockroach pets, right?

Robert Yau: Yeah.  There’s all sorts of strange pets on there.

Viveca: Do you have cockroaches at home, Peeps?

My Peeps: (Laughter).

Viveca: Yeah, we’ve lost Peeps from them!

My Peeps: (Laughter) There you go.

Viveca: Tell the cockroach story.

Robert Yau: Yeah.

Viveca: I love that!

Robert Yau: So we have this member, a single guy.  He lives in a New York apartment, and obviously, there’s a restriction on pets.  So what he did was, he took a picture of a cockroach in his apartment and sort of adopted it, and put it on the website with the picture and described, you know, his life and the cockroach.  He actually gave it a name.

Viveca: (Laughter).

Robert Yau: Suprisingly, he got a lot of hits, a lot of E-mails from the female members.  And that sort of brings up another thing about – you know, you talked about the smiling earlier.

Viveca: We’re still smiling!

Robert Yau: Yeah, the humor, humor and fun things attracts.  We find that attracts peoples’ attention.

Viveca: And animals smile without even trying.  And on that note, we have got to bring Wendy and Russel on with us. 

Wendy, Russel?

 Wendy: Yeah.

Russel: Yeah.

Viveca: Are you guys smiling (laughter) ?

Wendy: I sure am!  That’s really funny about the cockroach!

Viveca: Now, you guys did not meet over a pet cockroach?

Wendy: I hope not!  That’s why I moved from Boston – to get away from them!

Viveca: I was teasing about you, Wendy, but there’s nothing more fun than being around someone who is in love, and willing to talk about it.

Wendy:   Thanks!  I almost enjoy being around myself these days!

Viveca: (Laughter) And I want to share with our listeners, you’re one of the ones who took our poll, our Where is Love poll, and I wanted to share your results, which are:

Question 1:  Where did you find love?

And Wendy’s response was -- da, da, da, da -- “On DateMyPet.com!”

Now, on Question Number 2:   Where did you expect to find love, but didn’t?

We’ve got the answers:  “Friends, work, Jewish singles groups, friends.”  This is our life story.  I think all of us have lists of where we think we’re going to find love. 

So tell us about how you two met on DateMyPet.

Wendy: Well...
 

Russel: We got an auto match.

Viveca: An auto match?

Wendy: Yes, exactly.

Viveca: How easy is that (laughter) !

Russel: That’s pretty easy, isn’t it?

My Peeps: Do you have the same kind of pet?

Wendy: Well, what is interesting is, the auto matches are these automated matches which gave me a whole bunch of – bunch of people, and the irony was, it was all through the country, including one guy in Illinois and one guy in Florida.  I thought well, Florida, I don’t know anybody there.  Then there’s this guy that comes up in Carmichael, California, and I never heard of Carmichael.  So I figured, well, if I haven’t heard of it, it must be way up north by Eureka, or in Southern California or in the Sierras.

So I just went to to Ask Jeeves and I said, “Where is Carmichael, California?”  It shows me these pictures of these beautiful tree-lined streets, you know, it’s the chamber of commerce web page, and it says it was near Sacramento.  I thought, “Sacramento, oh, that’s not far at all. “ My joke is, well, it was easier to spell than Connecticut, and has a less toxic website – I’m sorry, it has less toxic websites in New Jersey.  So I figured okay, I’ll go for it.

Viveca: And it has Russel.  And Russel, you have two dogs?

Russel: I have a dog and a half.

Viveca: A dog and a half? 

Russel: I have a dog and a half.

Viveca: So you share custody of the dog?

Russel: Well, yeah, joint custody.

Viveca: I did that.

Russel: My vet says half the dogs in the practice are joint custody dogs.  And why not?  They get two houses, two packs of dogs.  It’s great.

Viveca: And Wendy, you’ve got three dogs or four dogs?  How many?

Wendy: Oh, this week, I’ve got three dogs.  And my joke is:  She who dies with the most dogs wins!

Viveca: How I love this!

Wendy: Or just like MTV’s theme: Too much is never enough.

Viveca: (Laughter) I confess, I am a dog person.  My guy has a dog and a bird – no, he has a bird and I have a dog. 

Wendy: They don’t – the dog doesn’t eat the bird?

Viveca: They haven’t met yet (laughter).  Stay tuned.

Wendy: I don’t think a bird would survive around my dog.

Viveca: Do you find – hello?  Do we still have our beloved Robert?

Robert Yau: Yes, I’m still here.

Viveca: Do you find – are there a lot of mixes going on with your site with bird people and dog people and cat people?  I mean, is there a lot of –

Robert Yau: Yeah.  I think what becomes a common theme is -- you know, is the pet loving, animal loving.  That’s the common theme, and, you know, but there some which do not match, things like – you know, someone might like a spider, and then ...

Viveca: A boa constrictor?

Robert Yau:   Right, or a snake.

Viveca: Does anyone have elephants?  Any elephants?

Robert Yau: We – no.  But we have a tiger.

Wendy: Are you serious?  A real tiger?

Robert Yau: Yeah.  We have someone – I think she works for a wildlife park. 

My Peeps: She just dumped Russel (laughter).

Robert Yau: She works for a wildlife park, I think.

My Peeps: Does she work for Marine World or something (laughter)?

Viveca: It just makes you smile just thinking about this whole thing.

Robert Yau: Oh, yes, it is.  And that’s the other thing, too, you know.  The thing about us, this DateMyPet, is we’re fun.  Unlike the other matching sites where they are very serious, you know, they’re asking one thousand and one questions, what we do is, we say, “Hey, go out on a date with your pets.  If there’s no love connection, at least, you may become friends because of the pets!”

Viveca: Now, for you two, were you at all interested in the breeds of dogs each other had, or what was there that stood out?

Wendy: Well, it was the connection. 

Viveca: What really stood out?

Wendy: For me, I was actually really interested in Russ.  I mean, this guy looked great.  He sounded highly intelligent.  I loved his sense of humor.  I thought it was funny that he wrote that he was making the world safe for dogocracy.  I didn’t realize it was his dog that was making the world safe.  It was him. 

Viveca: (Laughter) And Russel, what about you? 

Russel: Well, I’m a firm believer in hybrid vigor when it comes to breeds of dogs.  I’m also a firm believer in a standard psychological dog.  And when Wendy’s dogs tumbled out of the back of the her truck and they’re all well adjusted, friendly, smart, inquisitive dogs, that says something about her.

Viveca: Uh-huh, absolutely.

Russel: Where else can you go and do what you do, anyway, which is go out to the hills with your dog and meet the right person?  Nowhere else.  I mean, it’s a great thing to do, but it’s essentially a solitary activity, you and your dog or dogs, and Robert has provided everybody with a forum for actually hooking up with other people that like to be out with their dogs or cats, spiders, bugs or what-have-you.

Viveca: Now, Robert, is all this making you want to have more animals than just your one little pup?

Robert Yau: Oh, I actually have two cats, also.

Viveca: (Laughter) No birds, huh?

Robert Yau: Yeah.  And actually if this might go, eventually a horse.  So that’s my goal.  And yes, absolutely, I could live with a bunch of animals. 

Viveca: And Wendy, what decisions have you made about Russel, based on his dogs?

Wendy: Oh, I think he’s wonderful.  We’re having the best times of – I’m having the best of my life with him.  But I’ll tell you, though, his dogs are amazing.  I mean, I’ve never seen a dog open beer cans and drink ‘em.

Viveca: (Laughter).

Russel: Well, you know, he was found on the interstate, on the cloverleaf by a friend of the ex-wife’s, who took him out to her ranch in Davis and called the ex and said, “Look, you know, six dogs is plenty.  This dog is good with the cattle, good with the three-year-old.  He doesn’t have issues with the older dog.” 

So the boy needed, you know, an older dog, and the dog we had at that time was getting old, and so we took Tiger.  And well, geez, you know, Tiger’s from down further south in the central valley here, so of course, he drinks beer.

Viveca: (Laughter).

Russel: Now, this is a guy, he was on a camping trip and it’s his birthright. 

Viveca: This is the kind of conversation, Peeps, you’re only going to have with dog lovers and animal lovers.  Do you have a dog?

My Peeps: No, I don’t. 

Viveca: Not yet.

My Peeps: Well, I had a dog for 14 years and he passed away.

Viveca: That’s old.

My Peeps: I’m sitting here and thinking that if your dog does decide to eat your guy’s bird, you’re going to be very grateful that this DateMyPet.com is available.
 

Viveca: (Laughter)  In case I need to post myself somewhere else?

My Peeps: You’ll be okay.

Wendy: I work a dog rescue group called Furry Friends Rescue, and we have plenty of dogs.  As a matter of fact, the side of my truck says “Furry Friends Rescue.”

Russel: She can have Daisy.

Wendy: Yeah, our fifth dog.  My third dog – well, Russ has been great.  He’s been kind of sharing Daisy with me half the time.  We are looking for another home for her.  Russ’ sister was going to be wonderful and take her, but unfortunately, Kayla’s scared of – that’s what we call his cat.

Viveca: Do you also get involved with rescues and getting the word out at DateMyPet?

Robert Yau: Yeah.  If you notice a lot of events, we actually sponsor a lot of the charity events around the country.  So, for instance, things like the dog – there’s a lot of pet dog walks that goes on, and we try to sponsor a lot of those.  And yeah, we are totally for, you know, rescuing animals and charity in that example.

Wendy: Was that you at the Mutt Strut?

Robert Yau: We were at the Mutt Strut, yes.

Wendy: You know, Russ thought he saw you, and before you – before we were able to say “hi,” you were gone.  We were right next to you at one point.

Robert Yau: Right.

Viveca: I’m reuniting old friends here (laughter all around).

Robert Yau: Well, one thing is because Hershey has a lot of fur, so he cannot take the heat too long.  That’s another thing about having a big furry dog.  In the summer, he suffers a lot.  So that’s one of the – you know, one of the pieces of action I have is a big furry dog here.

Viveca: Well, I’m going to get a portrait taken of me with my dog, because I’m very jealous of you, Robert, with your picture.

Robert Yau: Oh (laughter).

Viveca: We’re going to talk about that a little bit later this evening.

You guys, I’ve got to thank you and say goodbye.

Robert Yau: Okey, dokey.  Thank you.

Viveca: Thanks for sharing your experiences at DateMyPet. 

Robert Yau: Thank you for inviting us.

Viveca: It’s so wonderful to know that this is available out there. 

You know, there is something for everyone in Loveland, and so no one can ever say, “Oh, there’s not something for me,” or, “I should just stay home.” 

We’ve got LeeAnn, who can help you move around a room like you wouldn’t believe.  We’ve got animal love.

When we come back, we’re going to return with a love story that will make a believer out of you; love, passion, suspense, spirit, intuition, commitment, jealousy, heroism!  We’ll return with Suzanne and a love story that is a best seller.

Are You Looking for Love? Are you an animal Lover? Don't stop - proceed directly to ...

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